Those Who Wander
by Californiapoppy5
Summary: Gabriella, just moving to Albuquerque from San Diego has no intention of making friends. Troy makes his way in her life. Between Boxing, Homework, her parents and One hell of a summer, Where will they find their new found friendship going? Will they be able to make it through the hard times or Will life get the best of them?
1. Albuquerque

Those Who Wander

* * *

The world is so full of cliché's and stereotypes. It felt like I was stepping into one when I set foot in my new school- East High. My mom worked a lot but always seemed to drag me along in wherever they sent her. This time it was Albuquerque, New Mexico. Home of Scorpions and red rocks and The East High Wildcats. There were cacti everywhere and everything smelled like dirt.

The halls I was walking down were white and covered with red banners. They also had stenciled paintings of a wildcat? I think that's what the mascot was. It just looked like a cat with big teeth. Or if you closed one eye and squinted the other-a big red blob. I found my way to the office. Mom usually came with me but I told her not to. I was a senior, I could take care of myself.

I waltzed into the office and rang the bell a couple of times. "You only had to ring it once." The lady at the desk said.

I smirked. "I was just making sure somebody noticed I was here."

"What can I help you with?" The lady asked bitterly. She looked at me up and down.

I dyed my hair black. It wasn't much of a change but I liked it. I had a Monroe piercing. I wore a baggy black sweatshirt that read 'That's What She Said.' I also had some dark skinny jeans on with my red vans to tie it all together. My hair was long and curly, it was my best feature. "I'm new. Gabriella Montez."

She looked at me then shuffled through papers. "Well Miss Montez, you weren't what we were expecting from your transcript." I gave her a blank look. "Here is your schedule and a map. Have a lovely day." She said with a fake smile.

"Thanks." I said sarcastically. I spun around on my heels and ran into a boy. He looked down at me with his blue eyes and his baby face. His shaggy hair was in his eyes. I blinked at him. "Move." I pushed past him, walking down the hallway. I found my locker and opened it. Somebody's stuff was already in there. I sighed. "I have to share a locker? Doesn't this school have enough money to buy each person their own fucking locker?"

"What do you think you're doing?" I heard a voice from beside me. I looked up to see a bushy haired guy standing beside me. "This is my locker."

"Look, I don't know you and you don't know me. Today is my first day and I got assigned this piece of shit locker. But don't worry about it okay? You can have your own fucking locker." I threw the piece of paper at him and slammed the locker door.

"What the hell is going on?" I looked over to see the blue eyed boy standing next to the bushy haired one.

I laughed. "Figures. This school is full of Douche Bags."

"Look Bitch." The bushy haired guy said.

I raised my eyebrows at him. "The only female dog I see around here is you and your poodle hair." With that I turned and walked away from them. I checked my schedule and found my first class. I was the first one in class, I saw a lady sitting at a desk. I walked up to her. "Hi, I'm Gabriella, I'm new."

"Ah Gabriella Montez, Transferred from San Diego. I saw you took an Advanced Shakespearian class last year." I nodded. "Well I am head of the Drama department and we are hold auditions for A Midsummer Night's Dream."

I shook my head furiously. "Oh no, I'm not a good performer, but I love reading it. I'd love to come see it though."

She sighed. "Well, maybe you could stop by and help with the translations." I gave her a small smile. "Welcome to East High, Miss Montez."

I walked to the back of the classroom and sat down. I pulled a book out of my purse and flipped through it. I found the last page I was reading and started again. "You're in my seat." I heard voice from above me. I looked up. It was the blue eyed boy. I sighed and looked back to my book. He took the book out of my hands. "I said you're in my seat."

I took my book back. 'Well you better find a new seat because I'm not moving." I looked around the class. "There is one next to your boyfriend bush baby over there."

"I've sat here for the past four years. Get up." He said.

"I've sat here for the past four minutes. Get over it." I retorted, turning back to my book.

He groaned. "Darbus, can you tell the new girl to move?"

"Mr. Bolton, sit down in the empty seat." The teacher instructed. The boy groaned and reluctantly took a seat in the chair up front. He looked back to see if I was amused. I was, I just didn't show it.

Ms. Darbus allowed us free time and this girl next to me just staring at me. "Can I help you?" I asked.

"You're Gabriella Montez, right?" I nodded. "I'm Taylor McKessie. Class president, Valedictorian, future president of the United States, and captain of the debate team and the Scholastic Decathlon team." I blinked at her. "Principal Matsui was going over your transcript with me and wanted to know if you'll join the scholastic decathlon team."

"No." I said shortly then turned back to my book. I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned back to the girl. "What?"

She bit her cheek. "Why not?"

"Because I don't want to." I said before sighing. "Look. I've already been accepted into the Stanford early admissions program. I have four more months here, then I'll be gone."

She frowned. "Well, if you ever change your mind, let me know."

I saw a blonde girl staring at me from the other side of me. I turned to look at her. "What?" I asked her. "I'm new, I get it. You don't have to stare!"

She didn't look taken back. "You are like the biggest bitch I've ever met." I blinked at her. "I think we are going to be great friends! I'm Sharpay Evans. I am head bitch here. Hannah Masters seems to think so but I disagree. She thinks her shit doesn't stink because she wears short skirts and let's the football team finger her at parties."

I smirked at this. "That's funny."

She smiled. "I'm glad you think so. So how do you like East High already?"

I shrugged. "It's okay. I've been here for a half hour and I've tired to get pulled into two different clubs and got annoyed by the douche brothers over there." I pointed to Pretty Boy and Poodle.

"Ah of course. The gorgeous one is Troy Bolton. He's is captain of the basketball team and the golf team. He isn't that douche-y anymore. He was total douche freshman year. He grew up well let me tell you." She wiggled her eyebrows. I rolled my eyes. "The other one is Chad Danforth. He was cool back in elementary school but he became a douche when he got on the basketball team. Whenever they're together they feed off each other but if Troy's alone, he's nice. I think Chad likes Taylor McKessie, which is weird because they haven't talked since the 8th grade. But whatever."

"Interesting." I said, bored of her talking.

"Like I said before. I'm Sharpay Evans. I take lead in every theatrical production here at East. Ryan, over there with the pink hat. He's my Twin brother and my best friend, he is the most amazing person ever… well next to me. He and Kelsi have this thing going on, I don't really know what it is yet." I hummed, starting to tune her out, reading my book. I didn't know how long I was tuning out. "He's totally looking at you Gabi. Can I call you Gabi?… Gabi? Oh my god he's- Hey Troy."

"Hey Sharpay." A voice said from next to me. I lifted my head up and looked from Sharpay to Troy. I looked back down. "Your name is Gabriella, Right?"

I looked at him blinking. "Yes."

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry about bumping into you and making a big deal out of the seat. I don't want to give East High a bad name for you, especially on your first day." He said. I stared at him. "I want to start all over again. Hi I'm Troy Bolton."

"Hi." I replied, turning my head back to the book.

"Miss Montez, I think we should learn a bit more about you is that okay?" Ms. Darbus said as we all sat back down.

"Sure." I said, putting my book away.

"Alright class does anybody have any questions for Miss Montez?" She asked. A couple hands shot up. "Jason."

"What's your bra size?" Jason asked, followed by snickers.

Ms. Darbus was about to protest. "32 C" I replied. "Next?"

The teacher blinked. "Well, Ah Ms. McKessie."

"Why don't you want to join the scholastic decathlon team?" Taylor asked.

I sighed. "Because I have no interest in joining."

"Mr. Bolton." Darbus called next.

"What is your favorite sport?" Troy Bolton asked.

"Football and Boxing." I replied.

"Mr. Danforth."

"What is your least favorite sport?" Chad asked me.

I licked my lips before I smirked. "Basketball." A couple people 'oooh'd' "Followed closely by Golf."

"I have a question for you Miss Montez. What is your favorite play?" Ms. Darbus asked.

"Hamlet" I said, looking at her.

"Ah! Hamlet. One of my favorites as well." Ms. Darbus said.

Most people just looked at me confused. "What is that about?" Jason asked.

"You'd have to read it." I said simply. "But that is only one of my favorites. I have many, many more."

"What's your favorite Shakespearian love quote?" Ryan Evans asked, putting his chin on his knuckles.

I popped my lips, thinking. "Some Cupid kills with arrows, some with traps." Everybody just stared at me. "Much Ado About Nothing." I explained. Everybody turned back to talking. I sighed and went back to my book. Nobody understood.

The bell rang and I walked to my next class. This class was a little better because nobody tried to talk to me. At lunch I walked out front and sat by the fountain. Nobody was out front, so I enjoyed the quiet. I ate my lunch in peace.

In the middle of my sandwich Troy Bolton sat down next to me. "Hey." He said, opening his bagged lunch.

"Can I help you?" I asked.

He chuckled. "Can't a guy eat lunch with a pretty girl?"

"No." I said. "What do you want really?"

Troy Bolton shrugged and looked at me. "I wanted to tell you my favorite Shakey quote."

I scoffed. "Oh, what is that? Romeo, Romeo?" He chuckled and shook his head. "Then what is it?"

"That man that hath a tongue, I say is no man, If with his tongue he cannot win a woman." He said, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Charming." I said dryly.

Troy sighed. "What would you rather have? Romeo and Juliet?" I shrugged. "But Soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the East and Juliet is the sun." He moved closer to me running his fingers down my cheek slowly. "Arise fair sun and kill the envious moon. Who is already sick and pale with grief. That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she." He dropped his hand from my cheek.

I felt my cheeks blush and I pushed my tongue under my lower lip, playing with my piercing there. I picked up my sandwich and took a bite. "What do you really want?" I asked. "I don't sleep around. I gave up on love. I'm just a bitter, bitter soul."

Troy shook his head. "I don't think so. I think you're just a little lost. You're a romantic at heart."

"I was. That's why I read Shakespeare." I dug through my purse and pulled out my mirror. I applied some lipstick on my lips.

He sighed. "I like your sweatshirt. Aren't you hot? It's like low 80's out here."

"It's thin, and I'm not wearing anything under it." I said, popped my lips and stuck my mirror back in my purse. "Why are you even sitting here anyway? Don't you people to entertain basketball star?"

"Basketball season is over." Troy said simply.

"Where are you going to school? Albuquerque community college?" I snorted.

He scoffed. "No. I have a scholarship offers from U of A, Duke, Oregon, and Berkley." I smirked at him. "Where are you going? San Diego State?"

I actually laughed. "Uh, No. I got accepted into Stanford's Early Honors Program. I leave in May, Thank God."

"Oh no. You're a nerd too? I just thought you were one of those weird Goth girls that masturbate to Shakespearian sonnets." I slapped my forehead.

"You're ridiculous." I said flatly. "I am intelligent, don't mistake that for naïve. I've dated a guy like you at every other school I've been to and I'm done with your type."

He laughed, clearly amused. "What's my type? I'd love to know."

"Jock, obviously. Every girl throws their panties at you, you hump and dump at least half of them. Two lovers away from contracting some form of genital infection. You play the sensitive, nice guy really well. You take an interest to the new girl. Get me to like you. You get the goodies and then you sleep with the next mystery that comes along." I said, starting to clean up. "I'm not going to be that girl anymore so don't try." I got up and walked away from him. I walked into the school and saw poodle looking around. "Poodle, your boyfriend was outside harassing me."

"Thanks." He said, running past me out the doors. I rolled my eyes as the bell rang. I found my next class, which was English.

The first day was one of the most successful in my book. I finished my homework. I changed into my running clothes. I had my iPod in my ears and a water bottle in my backpack. I stretched for a minute before I headed out the door. This was my first time running in Albuquerque so I decided to make a route. I ran down my street and turned left at the corner. I set a good pace and was doing pretty good time. I calculated I was about 3 miles away from my house. I slowed down as I approached a park. I found a tree and I stood under it. I pulled out my water bottle and took a drink.

"Hey good lookin." I heard from behind me. I rolled my eyes to myself and stuffed my water back in my back pack, putting it on my shoulders.

I turned around and came face to face with the douche twins. "Ah, Pretty Boy and Poodle." I smirked at them both. Their jaws were practically on the floor. "I'd love to chat, but I really don't want to."

"Damn." Poodle muttered. "Why does she have to be so hot?" He turned to pretty boy. Pretty Boy was just staring at me.

I shook out my legs. "Later." I ran past them heading back toward my house. Once I got home I went in the basement. Mom had somebody set up my bag and some other training equipment. Mom worked late most of the time so I made each of my meals. I was on a strict diet, due to boxing.

I'm becoming a professional boxer. It's kind of out of the box for a little girl like me. I was only 5 feet tall, but man I could pack a punch. Six miles was my warm up. I spent at least an hour on the bag and a half hour doing stations. 2 minute intervals on each 5 stations. I wrapped my hands up as I prepared myself. I got myself into position and my fist collided with the heavy bag.

* * *

The next day I ate breakfast and made my lunch. I looked at myself when I passed the mirror. I wore a white crop top that said 'Sorry I'm not sorry.' My flat belly peaked from under it when I lifted my arms, it didn't really bother me. My shorts were black and they matched with the black vans I was wearing. I grabbed my backpack and walked out the door. I grabbed the key's to my Audi and drove to East High.

We've been in Albuquerque for three days and I've only seen my mother once and that was the day we got here. It didn't bother me much, it's much more peaceful without her around. I walked into the school and walked into the office. I rang the little bell on the desk. The secretary looked less than happy to see me. "What can I help you with?" She asked.

"I need my own locker. I'm not going to share." I said, looking at her. She blinked at me and looked through her files.

"We've found one. Here." She handed me a slip of paper.

"Thank you." I said turning to walk out of the office. I went and found my new locker. I opened it and thankfully it was empty. I pulled out some Clorox wipes and wiped it down. You never know what people do to their lockers. I put my things in my locker and closed it.

"Oh look at that! We're locker neighbors." Troy Bolton said opening the locker next to me.

I groaned to myself. "Why are you everywhere?" I turned to walk away and Troy pulled me back. "What?"

"Do you want to hang out later?" He asked.

"I can't" I said, before trying to walk away. He pulled me back again. "What?!" I asked, growing increasingly frustrated.

"I like your belly ring." He said, tracing the outline of my belly button. I smacked his hand away and turned to step away. "Why can't you hang out?" He asked, holding my hips in place.

I pulled out my lipstick and smoothed it on my lips. "Because, I have to run six miles, everyday."

"I'll run with you." He offered. I shook my head. "Come on! It'll be fun. I can keep up with you. I'll meet you at your house." He said, squeezing my side and walking away before I protest.

I sighed then smirked, he didn't even know where I lived. I walked off to class and Sharpay was looking at me. "What the hell was that?!"

I looked at her confused. "What was what?"

"You and Troy. You guys are totally hooking up!" Sharpay said squealing.

I rolled my eyes at her. "Shut up." I walked past her into the class room. Troy was sitting in 'his' seat, so I sat in the empty seat next to poodle.

"Hey sexy." Poodle said, winking at me.

"Poodle." I greeted.

"My name is Chad, you know." He said, looking down at my legs.

I crossed my legs and sighed. "I know, but I like poodle better."

"You can call me any name you want baby." Chad said, leaning over to take a look down my shirt.

I shook my head at him and turned around. "Why does every move get shitter and shitter?" I asked myself under my breath, pulling my book out.

* * *

**This is the first chapter of the new story i'm working on. I'll probably only update this one only once a week or every other week. I don't have alot written so far. This is just a little sneek peak. The next couple chapters will explain much more. I've wanted to write a high school story not a baby/marriage/adult story. So Here it is. I'll upload the next chapter of Superstar (if y'all read that one) tomorrow. :) Don't forget to review!**


	2. Parents

I've always liked school. It was easy for me because I worked hard and got good grades. Boxing on the other hand peaked my interest because it challenged me. It had me on a strict diet, a strict schedule and a hard training routine. If I wanted to be the best, I had to train every single day.

We had just moved from San Diego. We were there for a year and a half. It had been the longest we'd stayed in one place since I was five. I spent my first five years in the perfect family. We lived in a two-story house in a suburban area of Phoenix, Arizona. My father was an engineer, he created heavy machinery and got paid well. My mother first worked as a nurse. She, like I, was very intelligent. She had a double major and a double minor, still graduating in the top 10 percent of her class. She could do anything and excel at it.

When my father dumped us for a 25 year old whore, she quit her job at the hospital and got a job working for the US government. I didn't know what she did and I didn't ask. Thus, after the divorce we moved to Washington DC and spent a year there. I hated moving around at first. I always wondered where 'daddy' was and I got to see him for the first couple of years.

Mom told me they had a nasty custody battle for me. He wanted me to stay with him in Phoenix. She wanted to take me with her. 'Dad' knew he would never win against my mom. She was a force to be reckoned with especially when it came to me. I knew she'd always be there, even when she's physically not. We have a mutual understanding of each other. She let me live my life, make my mistakes but she was always there to pick up the pieces when I fell apart.

I swore she had a sixth sense when she knew something was about to go wrong. She'd leave for a couple days, come back for a day or two and leave again. She'd never be gone for more than a week though. This happened when I turned fifteen and she trusted me enough to leave me home by myself. A couple days before shit would hit the fan, she would inform me that she was off for a week, two weeks, or any variation of time. I've only picked up on this recently. When we'd make another move she'd be courteous enough to tell me ahead of time, letting me take my time to recollect my things and pack them neatly away in boxes.

I haven't talked to my father since I was seven years old and it dawned on me that the lady that has sleepovers at 'daddy's' house was the wedge that split apart my family. I remember the last time I saw him clearly, I looked him dead in the eye and told him I didn't want to talk to him anymore. He didn't believe me though. But he finally learned how alike my mom and I were when I hadn't talked to him for eleven years now.

I don't know why my mom still talks to him. I don't know why she keeps telling me that she does. Maybe she thinks that one day I'll change my mind, but I am stubborn, just like her.

* * *

After school that day, I changed into my running clothes. I tied my shoelaces and started stretching. I walked out of my front door to see Troy Bolton, standing there waiting for me. "What are you doing here pretty boy?" I asked him.

His head whipped over to me and I closed the door behind me. "You didn't think I'd forget our date would you?" He asked.

"This is not a date." I said, dryly. "You invited yourself."

"That's right, I did." He said with a smug smile. I resisted my urge to smack him. I licked my lips instead and started running. I set my pace and Troy quickly caught up to me, running beside me. "Why do you run six miles?" He asked, looking at me.

"I don't talk when I run." I said, facing forward as my sneakers scraped lightly against the gravel with each step.

"You're talking to me right now." He said smirking.

I shook my head and kept running. Troy finally shut up and let me run in peace. We made it to the two mile mark I set in my head before he spoke again. "Do you have a boyfriend?" He asked me.

Seriously? "Can you be quiet for more than five minutes?" I asked him.

"No, I can't actually. I'm thinking of the questions I'm going to ask you when we take a break." Troy announced.

"Fabulous." I said, sarcastically. He was quiet again, we approached the park which was my three mile point. We took a break when we got to the basketball courts. I checked my pulse as I walked in place. Troy sat on the bench. "Don't sit down." I instructed, he got back up quickly.

"My side is cramping." He said breathlessly.

I stopped what I was doing and pulled a mustard packet out of the pocket in my shorts. "Suck this down quickly." I handed it to him.

"What is this? Mustard? Gross." He said.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Just do it." He looked at me skeptically before opening the packet with his teeth and sucking down the mustard. He made a face as he swallowed and gagged a little bit. "Can you not?" I said walking away from him. The sound of gagging made me want to throw up.

"Are you trying to kill me?" He asked, spitting the saliva in his mouth out.

"Unfortunately, no." I said. We walked over to a near water fountain and Troy attacked it. "Tell me, do you have a cramp now?"

He looked up at me amazed. "No, I don't."

"Well then." I said. "Come on, I'm getting cold." I lifted my arms over my head and stretched. I started running again, finding my pace. Troy would catch up to me eventually. When I got to the entrance of the park Troy's footsteps were thumping beside me. We ran in silence until we got to my house. I walked inside, straight to the kitchen. He followed me in, standing by the counter. I grabbed two bottles of water and handed one to him.

"Gabi, who is this?" I heard my moms voice, ask curiously as she stepped into the kitchen.

I swallowed my gulp of water. "Pretty boy." I said, moving the bottle back to my mouth.

She raised her eyebrows at me. "I'm Troy Bolton. We have homeroom together." Troy said, trying his best not to sound breathless. "It's nice to meet you Mrs. Montez."

"It's Ms. Montez." I corrected, resealing the cap on the bottle. "Troy saw me running yesterday and invited himself to join me today.

"I see." She said, looking at me. "Well I'll be upstairs if you need me."

"Alright mom." I said. I opened the fridge again and put my water bottle in.

"She doesn't mind that I'm here?" Troy asked, looking down the hallway my mom just walked down.

"Her, no. Me, yes." I said.

Troy sighed. "Why do you hate me so much?"

"I don't hate you." I said, rolling my eyes. "I just don't want to be your friend."

"Why not?" He asked, defensively crossing his arms.

"Because I don't want to be anyone's friend. I want to learn, graduate and leave." I lifted my leg up, stretching my hamstring out.

Troy looked at me. "Well what do you do in your spare time?"

"Run." I said, raising my eyebrows at him. "Homework. Why do you want to know so much about me?"

"I'm just trying to figure you out." He said, his eyes glazing over my body.

"Good luck with that." I said, down the hallway to the stairs. I made my way up the stairs. I heard Troy following me. "I'm doing homework. You can go home now."

"I don't want to go home." He said, making himself at home on my bed. He laid back and found my remote, turning on the TV.

"I bet poodle is dying to play with you. Why don't you go bug him?" I asked, picking up my English binder.

Troy flipped through channels. "Sweet, you have Sho-time." He said, ignoring my question.

I rolled my eyes. "It was apart of the move in special."

A knock sounded at my door. I turned to find my mom standing in the doorway. "I forgot to tell you, your father called. He wants me to ask you if he can go visit you when you go to California."

"You already know my answer." I said, looking at my mom. She nodded. "He's not coming to graduation either."

"I'll tell him. Troy, do you want to stay for dinner?" I groaned. "I don't remember the last time Gabi invited a friend over."

"I did not invite him." I said firmly. "He followed me in, like a stray dog."

"Hey!" Troy said from behind me. "I would love to Ms. Montez."

She gave him a small smile. "Well, that means I have to actually cook something." She let out a small laugh before turning and walking away.

"Your mom's cool." Troy noted.

"Yep." I said shortly, turning my focus back on my work.

"So, do you have a boyfriend?"

"No."

"Why do you run so much?"

"It's my warm up."

"Warm up for what?"

"Working out."

"Working out for what?"

I groaned. "Troy, do you have to ask so many damn questions?"

"I just want to know more about you. You intrigue me." He said.

I turned to look at him. "I'll sure you'll move on to stake your next claim when the next girl that is unfamiliar comes along."

"So pessimistic." He said, with a small smirk.

"I don't know why you're even trying. I'm treating you like shit and you're still laying in my bed, hoping to get laid in my bed."

"Not everything is about sex Gabriella." He said. "Maybe I was just trying to be nice because you're new and you don't have anybody to talk to."

"You don't have to be nice to me. I don't know why you have this incessant need to get people to like you. Not everybody is going to like you. We're always going to be just acquaintances, nothing more. I'm going to California and you'll be somewhere else. Let's face it. When I leave we're not going to keep in touch, you aren't even going to THINK about me when fresh meat surrounds you. So I don't know why you try."

Troy turned his head back to the TV in the middle of my rant. "How long do you think it would take to eat a six foot pizza?" He said, watching the TV.

I blinked at him. You've got to be kidding me. "Why me god?" I asked, looking up at the ceiling. I let my head drop, making a soft thud against my closed text book.

* * *

I finished all my homework, even with Troy's distractions. He asked me so many random questions. Thankfully Mom called us down for dinner before I strangled him. I sat down next to my mom, Troy sat on the other side of the table. "So Ms. Montez, how do you like Albuquerque?" He asked, digging into his plate of spaghetti. I had a bowl of salad in front of me, dressing on the side. A small plate of spaghetti next to me.

"It's nice. I love the climate. It's January and it's 70 degrees out. It's good for Gabi's workouts." Mom said, looking over at me. "Did she tell you she's a boxer?"

Troy raised his eyebrows at me. "No she did not. You're a boxer?"

"Junior National Champion." My mom added.

"I'm scared." Troy said, amused. "She could easily kick my butt."

I was bored with this discussion. I ate my salad quietly. "She used to dance too." My mom added. "She was my beautiful little ballerina."

I closed my eyes. "Mom, please?"

She smiled at me. "You know I love to brag about you."

"To your coworkers that fine but not to pretty boy." I said, looking at my mom then at Troy.

It was quiet for a moment. "So do you fight dudes too?" He asked, looking over at me.

"Yes." I said, eating the pasta off my fork.

"She's the Champion for both boys and girls." My mom elaborated. "She trains hard. She had a match next weekend. We're flying out to Las Vegas."

I just wanted all of this casual conversation to stop. I didn't want to talk about boxing. I didn't want to talk to TROY about boxing. I just wished my mom was away and Troy wasn't 'intrigued' by me. I closed my eyes, setting my fork down. "I'm done." I said. I slid my chair out and took my plates into the kitchen.

"Don't worry she's always this temperamental." My mom said. Troy chuckled and I scoffed. "That's why you love her. Our little Oscar the grouch."

"Oh my god. I'm going to stick my head in the oven now." I said, from the kitchen. I walked down the stairs in the hallway to the basement. I grabbed my tape and wrapped my hands up. I let out a small breath and stood in front of the bag. I threw the first punch and couldn't stop after I started. I ducked my head down every couple of punches, mimicking a real fight. After I threw the last solid punch I grabbed the bag and leaned my forehead against it.

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." Troy's voice drifted from the stairs. "I'm sorry for over stepping my boundaries."

I licked my lips, deciding if I was going to regret the words that were on the tip of my tongue. "You weren't." I said softly. "I'm just not used to having friends." I looked over at him. "I'm the one that should be sorry. I've been rude to you since I first bumped into in the office. It's just a defense mechanism."

He gave me a smile. Sharpay was right. He was handsome. "Hey, we all have our faults. You're just a little… temperamental… as your mom put it. Believe it or not, I'm not perfect."

I smirked at this. "Oh, how modest of you."

He chuckled. "I'm just joking. I don't think I'm perfect. Let me give you an example… I'm a terrible speller." He said, sitting on the steps, looking at me. I raised my eyebrows at him. "Seriously, give me a hard word and I won't know how to spell it."

"existential" I said, turning around, leaning my back against the punching bag.

"Exi-who?" He said.

I laughed quietly. "Existential. It means relating to human existence."

"Let me sound it out." Troy said, looking up at the ceiling. "Ex-eh-sten-chull. E-x-e-t-e-n-t-i-a-l."

"Close." I said shrugging. "What about Philosophy?"

"F-" He started.

"Don't make me slap you." I warned, looking at him.

Troy chuckled. "P-h-i-l-o-s-o-p-h-y"

"See you spelled that one correctly. Lawnmower" I said.

"They just keep getting easier." He said chuckling.

"pneumonia." I said, raising my eyebrow.

"I'd rather spell lawnmower." He said, getting up. "I should be getting home."

I felt a little disappointed, but pushed it aside. "Do you live far from here?"

"Four houses to the left." He said smiling.

"Let me walk you home." I walked up the stairs. I went up to my room and pulled some sweat pants on over my shorts and I zipped up a sweatshirt.

"You don't have to walk me home." Troy said.

I walked past him out of the door. "You might get mugged."

Troy laughed from behind me. "We live in Albuquerque, not Brooklyn."

"Brooklyn isn't that bad." I said, looking at him. We walked into the living room. "Mom, I'm going to walk Troy home. I'll be right back."

"Alright honey. Troy it was nice to meet you, despite what she says you are welcome anytime." She gave Troy a brief hug.

"Thank you Ms. Montez" Troy said, smiling at her.

I walked out the door first and Troy followed, closing the door behind me. "When you weren't talking, I actually had a nice time." I said, looking over at him.

He smiled at me. "I'm breaking down the wall, one brick at a time."

I shook my head. "Don't push it, Pretty Boy."

"Have you ever just went out and kicked somebody's ass?" He asked, turning to walk up his drive way.

"No. I don't just beat people up without a reason. I'm mean, not psychotic." I said, as we walked up to the door.

"I think I'm going to run with you again tomorrow." Troy announced as we stood on his porch.

I sighed. "I'm already behind on my workouts. Your bullshit is not going to fly tomorrow." I said. "Do you still want to come?"

"Yeah." He said smiling proudly.

The door opened from beside us. "Oh, hey. I thought I heard voices." A woman said, looking at Troy then at me. She studied me for a moment.

"Mom, this is my friend. Gabriella Montez. She lives down the street. She just moved here from San Diego. Her mom invited me to dinner." Troy said.

She turned to me and smiled. "It's nice to meet you Gabriella. Do you want to come inside?"

I smiled at her. "I should be getting home. My mom is expecting me back, but thank you Mrs. Bolton."

"You're welcome to come by anytime, isn't that right Troy?" She said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Right." He said smiling brightly.

"It was so nice to meet you Mrs. Bolton. See you tomorrow Troy." I smiled at them and made my way back down the street. I walked in the door and took a seat next to my mom on the couch.

"He's a nice boy." Mom said, wrapping her arm around me.

I sighed. "I know."

"You don't have to be so mean to him all the time." She said, kissing the top of my head.

"I know" I repeated.

"I think he likes you."

"I'm trying not to get too attached to anyone, or anything." I said, looking up at her.

She smiled at me. "So you like him too?"

"It's okay when he doesn't ask stupid questions." I said closing my eyes. "It's too early to tell."

"Tell what?" She asked.

"If he's really nice or if he's just like every other stupid guy in the world." I got up and kissed my moms forehead. "Goodnight mama."

"Night baby." She said quietly.

* * *

**Thank you guys for the great comments, I expect more for this chapter. We get to learn a little about her past and she isn't always mean. What do you think is going to happen? I'm excited to hear what you guys think :) Don't forget to review!**


	3. Friends

"You are you training everyday?" Shane, my trainer asked me. He lived in Vegas, where I first started boxing a couple years ago. We lived there for eight months and he's the only person I kept in contact and had regular visits with. He was pretty much the only man I trusted. He understood my daddy issues and my misconception of men because of it. Unlike a lot of men that walked in and out of my life, he proved that he wanted to stay in my life.

"Yes." I said, as I got in my car from home. I turned on the car and plugged in my phone. "This kid in my class decided he wanted to be my running partner yesterday. We had dinner with my mom." I said, sighing. "He wants to do it again."

"I see. A boy who would run six miles just to spend time with you. He likes you." Shane said, chuckling.

I rolled my eyes, backing out of the drive. "That's what mom said. How can somebody like me if they don't even know me? I've only known him for three days."

"First it's attraction. He thinks your pretty. Then he probably talked to you, and knowing you, you probably cussed him out… or some variation of it. He's intrigued and now he follows you around like a lost puppy." Shane said. His intuition was definitely on point.

"Do you have hidden cameras somewhere?" I asked, laughing quietly.

Shane chuckled. "No, I just know you. I've seen you with Boys. You don't understand how beautiful you are Gabriella."

"I am not beautiful. I'm just a girl." I said. I tapped on my steering wheel, waiting for the light.

"Please Gabriella. If any man was able to get to know you like I do, than he'd be the luckiest man in the world." I smiled at his kind words. I just wished I could believe them. "So are you sure you're ready for the rematch against Megan Greene next weekend?"

"I'm positive. I'm ready. I can't wait to get back into the ring. It felt like it's been so long, even though it's been a month." I pulled into the school parking lot and parked my car. "I've been doing that work out you showed me through Skype. I think it's making my shoulders stronger."

"Good, it should. Today I want you to work extra hard, maybe add another mile or another rep of workouts. You have to catch up. I know that boy is bound to distract you. Have him do his homework while you work out, okay?" Shane pleaded.

I laughed, getting out of the car. I grabbed my things and locked my car up. "I will. Hopefully he won't be at my house when I leave to run like he did yesterday." I made my way to my locker. I opened it up and put my lunch inside.

"Hey Buddy." Troy said, nudging me.

"Hi Pretty boy." I said flatly.

"Pretty Boy? Who's that? Is that him?" Shane asked into the phone.

"Yes." I replied to him. I closed my locker.

"Who are you talking to Gabi?" Troy asked me.

"Shane." I said.

"What?" Shane asked.

"I wasn't talking to you." I said into the phone.

"What?" Troy said.

I groaned in frustration. "Shane, I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Alright Gabi. Remember work hard." He said, hanging up the phone.

I wiped my screen off and stuck it in my pocket. "Who's Shane?" Troy asked me. "Ex-boyfriend?"

I scoffed. "God no. He's my trainer."

"He calls you every morning?" Troy asked, blinking.

"Yes." I said simply. I closed his locker and walked away from him.

I walked to home room and sat in the back. I suddenly felt tired. I'd kill for a cup of coffee right about now. "Hey Gabi." Sharpay said, sitting in her seat. "Love those shoes. So fab"

"Thanks." I said, looking down at them. I was wearing heels today to go with my dress. I didn't wear dresses often but I felt like it today. I pulled out Lord of the Rings out of my purse, flipping to the last page I left off.

"Gabi, you're in my seat again." Troy said, looking at me. "What are you reading?" He took the book out of my hand. "Lord of the Rings? You're such a nerd."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "We're still not friends Troy. You can sit up front with you poodle and forget I exist, 'kay?" I took my book back from him and turned the page.

I heard Troy sigh. He walked up front and took a seat in front of Chad. They talked quietly and I turned my focus back to the book. I never understood the point of homeroom. All we did was sit there and listen to Mrs. Darbus talk and talk and talk about nothing. We had some free time to do some homework but there was only so much you could do in twenty minutes.

* * *

Once the bell rang I put my book in my purse and walked out of the door. I walked to my locker and sat Troy getting his books out of his. I was waiting for a sly remark or an annoying question but instead I got silence. It was a little weird, he was probably pissed at me. What else was new in the world? I grabbed my books and walked away from the locker. I'm sure he'd be over it by lunch time.

I was wrong. I saw him and Chad sitting at a table in the cafeteria when I walked to the front of the school. I sat on the fountain and ate my lunch quietly. I was trying to focus on new techniques to make me better at boxing but Troy just over took my mind. God, I had no idea what was wrong with me. I knew this kid for three days, why was I feeling like this because he wasn't talking to me?

I pulled out my phone and dialed my moms familiar number. "Hello?" Mom asked me.

"Hey Ma." I said, taking another small bite.

"Are you at lunch?" She asked me.

I nodded to myself. "Mhm" I hummed. "I want to get a tattoo."

"Tattoo's are forever Gabriella." Mom said. "What are you thinking about getting?"

I set my sandwich down. "A quote from this book I was reading today. 'Not all those who wander are lost.'" I said. "I was thinking maybe on my shoulder blade or my ribs."

"Ah." She said. "We'll talk about it when you get home."

"Okay." I said, picking up my sandwich again. "What are you doing?"

"Unpacking little by little." She said. "I have a feeling we're going to be here for a while."

"Why do you say that?" I asked.

"Because I got a permanent position over here." She said.

I licked my lips. "Permanent, really?"

"Yes. I'll still have business trips but no moving. I signed a contract." Mom said.

"Well then, I guess I'm going to be spending all of my holidays in Albuquerque then." I said quietly. I bit into the sandwich.

"How do you feel about that?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't really have a say, since I'm leaving for California in a couple months any way."

"I should have asked if there was an open spot in California." Mom said sighing.

"You don't need to do that. I know you'll like it out here." I said. "I don't know what I'm going to do about boxing though."

"What do you mean?" Mom asked, sounding confused.

I scratched my head with my free hand. "Well, I don't think I'm going to compete forever. I'm going to have to focus on college. I might take a couple classes if I find a good gym in California."

"I really think you should consider meeting up with your dad. You're going to be an adult Gabriella, at least hear him out."

"I don't want to talk about this right now." I said, closing my eyes. "I'll see you when I get home." I hung up the phone and put my sandwich in my bag. I walked into school and threw my half eaten sandwich away. I looked down at the floor and collided with somebody in front of me.

"Sorry." I looked up to see Troy. "You alright?"

I nodded and looked up at him. "You're not ignoring me anymore."

"We're not friends remember." He said, tightening his jaw.

I looked away and rubbed my arm. "I'm sorry." I said, looking up at him. "Looks like I'm going to have to come back here for a while. It'll be nice to have a friend to come back to."

He just looked at me confused. The bell rang and Troy sighed. "I'll see you later." I nodded and we went our separate ways.

* * *

After school I drove home and made myself a snack. I heard a knock at the door. I took my sandwich with me as I answered the door. It was poodle. "Hey is Troy here?" Chad asked, looking at me.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "No, he's not. Why? What's going on?" I asked.

Chad sighed. "Troy has been acting weird all day. We were going to go play ball at the park after school but he hadn't showed up yet. I went to his house and his mom said he wasn't there. I checked at school and his truck wasn't there. So I thought I'd check here."

"Did you call him?" I asked.

He nodded. "He's not picking up."

I frowned. "Where could he be?"

Chad sighed. "I don't know."

"I'll help you find him." I said, turning to go back into my house. I put my sandwich on the counter and tied my tennis shoes on. I walked out of the door. "I'll modify my normal running route. I'll meet you back here in 45 minutes."

I took off running, leaving Chad Danforth at my door step. I took a side street, running to the end of the road before turning down a main street. If I was Troy, where would I be? I had to admit I was worried about him. He may be annoying but I don't want anything bad to happen to him. I kept running until I realized I was in the next town over. I was about to turn back around when I saw a familiar looking truck. I ran over to the truck and smacked my hands on the drivers side window.

By the look on Troy's face I had scared the shit out of him. He rolled down the window and looked at me. "You scared me." He said, he looked out the window at me. "Did you run all the way here?"

"Yes I did. Because poodle comes up to my door step, worried looking for you. You don't meet him at the park or answer your phone. We thought you were dead. When you decide to do AWOL can you call somebody first?" I said, breathlessly.

He raised his eyebrows at me. "You care an awful lot about somebody who isn't your friend."

"Don't make me regret running all the way over here, looking for you. Give me your phone." I held my hand out. He placed it in my hand. I scrolled through his contacts and called Chad's number.

"Hello? Dude? Where the hell have you been?" Chad yelled into the phone.

"It's Gabi. I found him. We're… I don't know where we are, but here's Troy." I handed him back his phone. "I'm glad you're safe." I said to Troy, turning and running back towards home.

I figured I was about half way home when Troy pulled up next to me in his truck. He opened the passenger side door. I slowed down and stopped, walking over to him. "Let me drive you home. You ran more than six miles."

I shrugged. "Shane said I needed to work harder today, what's another four miles?" My legs were starting to get sore so I stretched out my muscles.

"Please, get in the truck." Troy said, his blue eyes seemed less blue today.

I let out a breath. "Okay." I climbed in the truck and closed the door behind me. I buckled my seatbelt.

"Wow, I expected you to put up a fight." Troy said with a small smirk. "You're going soft on me." I turned to climb out of the truck. Troy put his hand on my thigh to stop me. "Gabi, I was joking."

His hands were cold against my skin. His hand moved back to the steering wheel and I crossed my legs to hide the goose bumps. "So why did you stand up Chad?" I asked, leaning back against the seat.

"I had a long day." He said, letting out a tired breath. He didn't say much more as he turned back on the road. I rubbed my bare thighs. I needed to finish my workout before a much needed ice bath tonight. "You alright?" He asked as he pulled in front of my house.

I looked over at him. "I should be asking you that. You're the one who has barely said anything to me. I've known you for three days and I know that's not like you."

He rubbed his hands against the steering wheel. "My mom has cancer." I opened my mouth to say something but I couldn't find the words. "She told me last night after you left. She said she'll be fine, but it's still scary."

I unhooked my seat belt and wrapped my arms around his neck. He seemed to be taken back. He wrapped his arms around me. "I'm sorry about your mom." I said quietly. Troy gave me a small smile. "Do you want to come inside, do some homework?"

Troy nodded quietly and I climbed out of his truck. I closed the door behind me and I walked over to Troy. He threw his back pack over his shoulder. We walked together in my house and we were about to walk up the stairs. "Hey Gabi, Troy." Mom said, stopping us.

"Hey Mom. We're going to go do some homework." I said, looking at her.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" She asked. I nodded.

"Go on up, I'll be a minute." I said, rubbing Troy's arm. He nodded quietly and walked up the stairs. Mom lead me into the kitchen and she sat on the stool. I started making Troy and I a snack. "What do you need to talk about?"

Mom sighed quietly. "I really think you should consider seeing your father."

"I'll consider it, even though both you and I know the answer is going to be no. I haven't seen him in eleven years and I don't plan on seeing him now." I said, putting some meat on the bread. "I have no interest in seeing him."

My mother studied me for a moment. "If you see him, then I'll let you get your tattoo."

"I'm eighteen, I don't need permission." I said, rolling my eyes.

"I'll pay for it." She said.

"I have my own money." I finished the sandwiches and started putting stuff away.

"Gabriella…" She said, thinking of something else. "I'll let Troy go with you."

I laughed. "Who says I want Troy to go with me?"

"Gabriella. You are going to see your father and that's it. I tried to comply with you. You are going for a weekend and you won't ever have to go again. Alright? Alright." Mom said firmly.

I rolled my eyes. "We'll see."

"Yes, we will see. If you don't see your father this weekend I won't let you go to your competition next weekend." Mom said crossing her arms.

"You can't do that! Everything is booked and paid for. My whole boxing career rests on this match. You can't just do this to be cause I didn't want to see my father. That's bullshit mom." I grabbed my plate and walked up the stairs, shaking my head.

"I don't know why you don't want to see him!" Mom yelled from the kitchen.

I scoffed and closed the door to my room behind me. "I made you a sandwich." I said, setting the plate down on my desk. I fell on my bed next to Troy.

"Are you okay?" He asked quietly.

"My Mom wants me to see my dad and I don't want to see him. She threatened to not let me go to Vegas to box if I don't see him this weekend." I said sighing.

"Why don't you just go see him?" He asked.

"Because he's an asshole." I turned to face him. "He cheated on my mom, left her for a younger woman. Hell, they're not even together anymore according to my mom. He wanted to keep me there with his… mistress, when I was younger. Mom wouldn't allow that. I last spoke to him when I was seven. When I started hating him, my mom seemed to stop."

Troy nodded. "I see. You hate him because he left your mom."

"I hate him because he left. I hate him because he walked away from me and my mom. I hate him because he drove our family apart. I hate him because he broke my moms heart. He doesn't deserve to see me. He made his choice thirteen years ago and he didn't pick my mom and I." I sat up and yelled to my mom down stairs. "He doesn't deserve to see me!"

She didn't respond. "This explains a lot." Troy said, looking at me.

"I'm an insecure girl with daddy issues. I don't want to burden anybody with my problems." I said falling backwards. I landed on something hard in the middle of my back. I realized it was Troy's arm when he wrapped his arms around me.

"Everybody has problems, Gabi. You won't burden me, I care about you." Troy said, pushing my hair back. His fingers trailed down my face slowly. "I want to know everything about you." His fingertip touched my piercing above my lip. "When did you get this?"

I licked my dry lips quickly. "When I was 16, for my birthday. I only take it out when I fight. I'm gonna get a tattoo soon." I said, my eyes studying every inch of his face.

"What are you going to get?" He asked, his thumb bushing against my bottom lip, his fingers fitting perfectly against the curve of my neck.

"Not all those who wander are lost." I said, meeting his eyes. "It was in a quote from the book I was reading in homeroom."

"That's from The Lord of the Rings?" He asked, curiously.

I nodded. "All that is gold does not glitter. Not all those who wander are lost."

"It seems to fit you." He noted.

I shrugged. "I liked it… are you doing anything this weekend?" I asked looking at him.

"Not sure, why?" He asked quietly.

"Do you want to drive to Phoenix with me?" I asked with a small smile.

Troy figured out what I was talking about. "To meet your dad? I don't think that will fly with your mom."

"She already said you could." I said. "It was in the process of her bribing me to see him. I have to fight next weekend and I don't know if I can go see him alone."

He smiled at me. "Does this mean we're friends?"

"Does this mean you'll go?" I asked, hopefully.

"I'll have to talk to my parents and they'll probably have to talk to your mom, but if they'll let me then I'll go." He said, smiling at me.

"Thank you." I said, hugging him tightly. "And yes, we're friends."

* * *

**I know I said it would be out later but I wanted to get it out before i got to school today. So Enjoy your friday! I love you guys, i might put another chapter of this up tomorrow ;) What do you think about that? Let me know. I love you guys! Don't forget to review!**


	4. Dinner

I sat in the back of the class at homeroom the next day. I was exhausted, my hair was up in a messy bun and I was wearing a hoodie that read 'What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.' I was wearing leggings with some flats. I barely put make up on. I propped my chin on my hand and let my eyelids droop.

"Tired?" A voice asked from in front of me. Troy was sitting in the seat in front of me. I peeled my eyes open.

"Mmm, yeah. I had to finish my homework, and finish my work out. I didn't go to bed until like one or two." I covered my mouth when I yawned.

"Sorry for distracting you." He smiled sympathetically. "I have good news though."

"What's that?" I asked, sitting up.

"I can go to Phoenix with you. My mom is going to call your mom later to work out the details. She feels like she wants me to live my life to the fullest, even if that means driving to Phoenix for an awkward weekend with your dad." He said chuckling. "You still want me to go right?"

I nodded with a sleepy smile. "I do, I hope you will make it less shitty."

Mrs. Darbus walked in and Troy went back to his seat. I blinked my eyes a couple times to make sure I was awake enough to try to listen to what she had to say. She only had a quick little rant before giving us free time. Sharpay turned to me and started talking about this boy that worked at her parents country club. I slowly lowered my head and rested it against my arms, closing my eyes.

I felt a hand on my back. "Gabi, wake up the bell rang." Troy said softly.

I sat up quickly. "What? I'm up." Troy helped my collect my things as I got up. Troy walked with me to our lockers. "Thank you." I said, looking up at him. "For not just leaving me there."

He kissed the top of my head. "What are friends for?" He winked at me before walking off.

I sighed and switched out my books. By lunch I was more awake. I grabbed my lunch from my locker and walked out to the fountain where I normally sat. Troy was already standing there waiting for me. We sat on the ground and I took out my sandwich. "Where's poodle?"

"I promised I would play basketball with him after school. He's trying to talk to McKessie." I looked at him, confused. "Taylor, the girl that sits next to you in homeroom."

"Oh, She seems a little… pretentious for him." I said, biting into my sandwich.

Troy shrugged. "She is, but for some reason he likes her so…. Not much you can do. She never liked me though. She thinks I'm an ass."

I laughed quietly. "You are an ass." His smile dropped off his face. I laughed, pushing back his hair. "I was joking."

"Yeah, you better be." He said, looking at me. I smiled and ate my sandwich. "So who was your first kiss?"

"Adam Jones, in the seventh grade. We were in South Dakota." I said, peeling the crust off my sandwich. "Yours?"

"Chelsea Anderson, at the sixth grade farewell dance." Troy said, opening a bag of chips. "She moved to Tacoma a month into summer. First boyfriend?"

"Jordan Roderick. End of seventh grade, Wisconsin. He said he liked me the second week I was there so we dated the four months I was there." I said.

He nodded. "Corrie Franklin. She was an eighth grader when I was in seventh grade."

"Look at you, mister big shot." I nudged him.

He chuckled. "I dumped her when she got to high school and dated her best friend Lauren."

I winced. "Ouch, and heart breaker."

"She works at Elephant bar and she still shoots me dirty looks every time I see her." I laughed, shaking my head. "I don't blame her though." Troy said chuckling.

"Shit, I don't either. That's fucked up." I took a bite of my sandwich, finishing it. "I'll come see you when I run today, say hello to you and poodle."

"You've seemed to have taken a liking to him." Troy said smirking.

I shrugged. "He's not annoying as you are." I said with a sly smile.

Troy laughed. "That's because he doesn't talk to you." We finished our lunches and sat quietly for a minute. "So are you nervous about this weekend?"

"A little bit. I hope I don't blow up, I really don't." I sighed. "I know we're not going to be best friends or anything but I just want it to go by quickly so I don't have to talk to him ever again."

"I'll be the peace maker, if anything gets out of hand." He said, pulling me closer to him

"Why do you even want to be my friend?" I asked looking up at him.

Troy smiled at me. "I have the compulsive need to make everyone like me, remember?"

I shook my head at him. "No seriously."

"I don't know, I just want to be your friend. First I was just being an ass, like the first day at lunch but I don't know. I liked that you were athletic and you're smart. I just want to know more about you." He said, slowly putting his arm around me.

I looked up at him. "This isn't like a dare or anything?" I said, with a horrified expression. I pulled away from him. "Seriously, tell me now and save me from the embarrassment."

Troy frowned and shook his head. "No, it wasn't a dare. I'm not that much of an asshole." I looked at him skeptically. "You can ask Chad."

I sat back and sighed. "That happened before, you know. 'Hey, I dare you to go out with the new girl for a hundred bucks.'" I said, shaking my head. "You better believe they both had black eyes when I found out."

"That is fucked up. I don't know how people can do that." He looked at me. "Nobody deserves to be treated like that."

I rubbed my lips together and looked over at him. "I kicked one in the throat."

Troy chuckled at me. "Remind me to never piss you off."

"Gladly." I said smirking.

* * *

The bell rang for lunch to be over and Troy got up. He helped me up and we walked back in the building together. After my last class I walked to my car and saw Poodle standing next to it. I opened the trunk and put my bag in. I shut it and walked over to Chad.

"Hey Poodle." I said looking at him.

"Hey Gabi. I just wanted to say thank you for helping me out yesterday." Poodle said as he scratched the back of his neck. "So, thank you."

"No problem." I said, leaning against my car. "Troy's a nice guy, I'm just a little hard to get along with sometimes." I rubbed my arm. "This isn't a dare or anything right?"

Chad's eyes looked up at me. "What? No. Troy would never do that."

I smiled a little bit. "I'm just making sure. Since Troy is a friend of mine then I guess you are a friend of mine. I won't call you poodle if you don't want me to."

Chad chuckled. "It doesn't matter to me. As long as it's more of a nice nickname."

I nodded, laughing. "Alright. Well I'll probably see you later at the park."

"Alright, see you." Chad said, walking away.

I got in the car and drove home. I put my stuff upstairs and walked down, meeting my mom in the kitchen. "So I made a decision." I said leaning against the counter.

"What's that?" She asked, looking at me.

"I'm going to go to my fathers house, but Troy is coming with me. He asked his mom and she said he could but she'll probably call you sometime today." I said, looking at her. "I'm not happy about this because I really don't want to go but since you're giving me no other choice, I have to go."

My mom sighed. "I just really want you to see your father one last time before you're out of the house and off to college. You've shut him out of your life for eleven years, I think it's time to at least hear his side of the story and make your decisions up about him."

"I guess that's fair." I said, looking at her. "I'll let you know how it goes."

She nodded. "Alright."

"I'm going to go change, I'll be home later." I said, tugging at the sleeves of my hoodie.

"Is Troy coming over?" Mom asked, looking at me.

I shrugged. "Maybe, I don't know." I walked up stairs and changed. I tied my shoes on and stretched my legs out. They were still a little sore from yesterday but I didn't mind. I set off running towards the park.

I didn't know what to expect when I was going to meet my dad. Would he try to be my best friend? Would he try to parent me? Would he be like mad at me for not talking to him? I really don't know. How would he react to Troy coming? I don't remember how he was since I hadn't seen him or tried to think about him in eleven years. I guess I'll find out soon enough.

"Gabi!" I heard my name being called when I passed the basketball courts. I slowed down and looked around. I saw Troy and poodle, playing with a basketball. I made my way over to them. "Hey, what's up?"

"Running, thinking." I said, catching my breath quickly.

"Troy said you were a boxer, are you serious?" Poodle asked.

I laughed at him. "Do you want me to punch you? You can tell me yourself."

"Yeah, kinda." Chad said, looking from me to Troy.

Troy shook his head. "Please don't do it dude."

Chad brushed him off. "I don't think you can hurt me. Punch me in the arm." He rolled up his sleeve and glanced down at his arm. "hit me."

I shook my head. "I don't want to punch you Poodle."

"Come on Gabi, just do it. What can one little punch do?" Chad said, waiting for me to punch him.

"No, I'm not going to." I said, crossing my arms.

Chad smirked. "Do you hit like a girl?" I dropped my arms and punched him in the arm. He looked at me, his eyes widened. "I think my arm is broken." He said, looking at Troy then to me.

"I forgot to tell you she was a national champion." Troy said, making a face.

"I can't feel my arm!" Chad said trying to lift his arm. "Is it still there?"

"It's bruising." I said frowning.

Troy looked closely at his arm. "You can see the outline of her fist!"

Chad looked down at his arm. "Dear god!"

"I'm sorry" I said, looking at him. I touched it. "Does it hurt?"

"I can't really feel it." Chad said, touching his arm.

"Do you want me to get you some ice or something?" I asked, looking over at Troy.

Troy chuckled. "He's fine, he brought it on himself, right buddy?" Troy slapped his arm. Chad groaned in pain. I couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm gonna go walk it off." Chad said, walking away from Troy and I, shaking out his arm.

"I told him not to." Troy said sighing.

"At least now he knows." I said, swatting the basketball out of his hand. I took a shot and it bounced off the rim.

"You play ball?" Troy asked, running after the ball.

I shook my head and caught the ball as he bounced over to me. "I hate basketball." I said, looking over at him.

"I see."

I shot the basketball again and it went into the hoops. Troy caught the ball and walked back over to me. "I think I better head back. I have homework and stuff. If you and Chad want to come over or something then feel free. My mom was asking about you."

Troy nodded. "Well I have to see if Chad doesn't have to go to the emergency room."

I laughed. "I'll talk to you later."

He wrapped me in a hug before I took off running again. I ran passed Chad and said bye to him. Once I got home I went down stairs and finished my training. I jumped in the shower and once I got out there was a knock at the door.

"Gabi, Troy's here." Mom said.

"Alright, let me get dressed." I said. I got changed into clothes and brushed my hair back. I braided my hair and walked down stairs. "Hey." I said to Troy, when I got to the bottom of the stairs.

"Hey Gabi. I was telling your mom that my mom wanted to invite you and your mom to dinner tonight." Troy said, sliding his hands in his pockets.

"And I said of course because I haven't cooked anything yet and I need to go to the grocery store." Mom said, laughing.

I smiled. "Alright, let me go put some shoes on." I walked back up stairs and put some shoes on. I grabbed a zip-up and covered my arms with it. I walked back down stairs and we walked out the door. I let my mom and Troy walk and talk together. I followed closely behind, fixing my shirt. I rubbed my forehead and realized I didn't put any make up on. I sighed to myself.

We got up to his door and he opened it, leading us inside. I closed the door behind us. "Mom, I'm back." Troy said. We followed him into the kitchen. "Mom this is Ms. Montez and you remember Gabriella."

Mrs. Bolton smiled at me. "Hello, please call me Lucy, both of you." Our moms shook hands.

"Call me Marie." Mom said, smiling. "You can call me Marie too, Troy."

Troy smiled at my mom. "Dinner is almost ready. Troy, can you get your dad?" Lucy said.

"Yup." Troy walked away.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" Lucy asked, smiling at us.

"Water is fine for me." I said, looking over at my mom.

"Same here." Mom said. We took a seat at the island in the kitchen.

I looked around the kitchen. "Your house is beautiful Mrs. Bolton." I said. I looked over at her.

"Thank you." Lucy said smiling. "It's really great to have you here. How do you both like Albuquerque so far?"

"I love it here. I love the heat. We've lived all over the place, I grew up in Phoenix so it's so close to home." Mom said.

My eyes drifted over to Troy and the man who walked into the room. "This is my husband Jack." I smiled at him. "Jack this is Marie and Gabriella."

"Hello." He said, giving us a smile. "It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Bolton." I said.

"I'm going to go give Gabriella a tour of the house." Troy said, walking over to me. He grabbed my hand and pulled me off the stool I was sitting on.

I laughed and followed into the next room. "I was going to go willingly, you didn't have to yank my arm off."

Troy laughed. "I'm sorry. My dad likes to embarrass me, especially where there are pretty girls around." I looked around the room. "Dining room. Stairs." He said as we walked up the stairwell. "This is my room." We came to the first room. Troy opened the door, leading me in. He closed the door behind us.

"Very masculine." I noted, sitting on the bed.

"I'd hope so." Troy laughed, sitting next to me.

"I finished my work out today, thank god. I've been feeling so behind lately." I laid back. "I'm so tired."

"I'm sorry." Troy said, laying on his stomach. "I've been distracting you."

I shrugged. "I actually don't mind."

"You're getting soft on me." Troy said with a teasing smile.

"Maybe I'm just showing you another side. I let my guard down too often with boys like you. I'm just hoping you don't turn out like the rest of them." I said quietly.

His eyes connected to mine. "I'm not like the rest of those guys anymore. I don't want to be like them." He said quietly. "You know you're the only girl that's ever been in my room, except for my mom."

"You're lying." I said, resting my hands on my stomach.

He shook his head. "It's true. If I had a girlfriend we'd always go to her house or we never went past the living room."

"I'm flattered." I said, smirking at him. "Your bed is ridiculously comfortable." I said, letting my eyes close.

"When you go home, you should go to bed." Troy said, I felt him scoot closer to me.

"If I don't fall asleep at dinner." He laid his head against my arm. I ran my fingers through his hair absentmindedly. I looking up at the ceiling.

"Gabi." Troy said quietly.

"Hm?" I hummed.

"I get really turned on when girls play with my hair." He mumbled.

I let out a quiet laugh. "Oh my god, you don't have a boner do you?"

Troy chuckled. "No, I don't have a boner."

"Okay, good." I said, playing with his hair still.

"Do you want me to have a boner?" He asked, sitting up. He stared down at me.

"Your hair is so soft though." I said, dropping my hand.

He leaned down, placing his lips on mine. My fingers found his hair again. He rested his palm against my stomach. His lips were soft as the kisses he placed against my lips. I felt his lips part slightly, his tongue brushing my lips. I tightened the grip against the hair I was holding. I parted my lips as well and brushed my tongue against his.

"Troy, Gabriella. Dinner is ready." Troy's mom called from down stairs.

Troy slowly peeled his lips away from mine. I saw up and licked my lips. I swallowed. "We should go eat." I said, walking out the door without looking back at him. "Troy's coming." I said, as I walked into the dining room, taking a seat next to my mom.

"Smells good Ma." Troy said, as he walked down the stairs. He sat across from me and we made brief eye contact before I looked away from him.

"Thanks baby." Lucy said, smiling at him. "Feel free to help yourself." I took a sip of the water that I abandoned in the kitchen, mom brought it in for me. I took a small chicken breast, some vegetables and some rice.

We started eating. "This is delicious Mrs. Bolton." I said, smiling at her.

She smiled back at me. "So Marie was telling us you box, Gabriella?" Jack said, looking at me.

I nodded. "For about four years now. I've only competed for about two." I explained. "My trainer still lives in Las Vegas, where I started. He's very supportive, even though we don't see each other very often."

Jack nodded. "You're very motivated, I like that in an athlete. Troy is a phenomenal basketball player. He's still deciding where he wants to go for college. Where are you going?"

"Stanford." I said, putting a piece of chicken in my mouth.

"Gabriella got accepted into the Early honors program. She leaves to California in May." Mom said, looking over at me.

Jack looked impressed. "Athletic and smart. You don't find many girls like you anymore."

"Thank you." I said, with a small smile. My eyes drifted back over to Troy and he winked at me. I looked down and laughed quietly. I shook my head slightly, picking up my fork.

* * *

**Don't forget to review :)**


	5. Daddy

Dinner wasn't actually wasn't what I thought it was going to be. It wasn't awkward or anything. It was kind of nice, I got to know a lot more about Troy and his parents. Our moms got along really well. His dad was really cool and Troy kissed me. Dinner was a nice distraction from what happened in the bedroom a half hour ago.

After dinner was over, we helped Lucy clean up and we said our goodbyes. Troy walked us home. Mom went inside and Troy and I stood on my door step. I licked my lips. "So I'll see you tomorrow." I said, looking up at him.

"You always lick your lips." He said, looking at me.

"Nervous habit." I said.

Troy smiled at me. "It's kind of cute."

I smirked, "Thanks."

He placed his hand on my neck and stepped closer to me. He leaned down and kissed my cheek gently. "I'll see you tomorrow."

I rubbed his arm slowly. "Goodnight Troy."

"Goodnight Gabi." He said, giving me a small smile. He dropped my hand and I watched him walk off the porch. I leaned against the door and opened it. I kicked the door closed behind me.

I made my way up the stairs. "Night Gabi." Mom called when I walked passed her room.

"Night mom." I said before I entered my room. I pulled out my homework that needed to be done and did it quickly before I went to bed.

* * *

It was finally Friday. Troy and I were leaving tonight, we were going to take turns driving and we should be there by morning. I made sure I got most of my homework done in homeroom and free period. I was going to be gone all weekend and I wasn't planning on taking my back pack. I didn't want to be behind because next week I'd have to focus on my match during the week.

I got out of my last class early and I walked out to my car. I was going to take a little nap before we hit the road. We were leaving tonight because we'd have to leave in the middle of the day on Sunday to get back home on time for school on Monday. I hopped in and drove home. I parked my car in the drive way.

I finished packing my stuff and put it by the door. I crawled into bed and checked the time. It was three. We were leaving at 7, stopping to get dinner first. I closed my eyes. It seemed like I was laying there for only a few minutes when I felt a weight sit down next to me on the bed. I was a light sleeper.

I smacked the person next to me. "Ow!" Troy said. "Do you want me to hit you back?"

"What do you want?" I mumbled.

"A kiss." He said. I sat up and raised my eyebrows at him. He had a smirk on his face. "Now that you're up, are you ready to go?"

I rubbed my eyes. "What time is it?"

"7:15." Troy said, glancing at my clock.

I groaned. "We're late already?"

Troy chuckled. "Calm down, we have all the time in the world Gabi. Do you want me to let you sleep?"

I sighed. "I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep." I pulled down my shirt that was riding up. "I guess I should get ready."

"I'm just going to go like this." Troy said. I looked at him, he was wearing shorts and a plain t-shirt.

I looked down at my shirt and shorts. "I'll put some yoga pants on." I climbed out of bed. I walked over to my closet and grabbed my yoga pants off the hanger. I dropped my shorts.

"Oh- I- Alright-" Troy stuttered. I put my pants on and turned back around to face him. "You just changed right in front of me."

I shrugged. "I let you put your tongue in my mouth, We aren't exactly strangers." I tied my shoes on and grabbed a sweatshirt. I stood in front of him. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah." Troy said standing up. I grabbed my bags and my keys. "I thought we were taking my truck." He said as he walked out my door.

I closed the door behind him and laughed. "I don't think so." I said, twirling my keys on my finger. I walked past him and down the stairs. "Ma, we're getting ready to go." I called out as I walked out the door. I put my stuff in the car and Troy reluctantly transferred his from his truck.

He closed the trunk. "I already said bye to my parents." He said, leaning against the back of the car.

"I'll be right back." I said, walking up the drive again. I opened the door and my mom was coming out with a bag of snacks. "We're ready." I said, following her out.

"Alright, be safe." She said, putting the bag of snacks into the car. Troy came over to us. "Switch off if one of you is getting tired. If you don't think you can make it pull over. If your in any trouble call me. Troy do you have my number?"

"Yes I do, Ms. Montez." He said, holding up his phone.

"Take care of each other. Troy make sure she doesn't kill her father. Gabriella, be nice." Mom warned.

I rolled my eyes. "I said I would go, I didn't say anything about being nice."

Troy put his hands on my shoulders. "I'll make sure she's on her best behavior."

She smiled at him. "Thank you Troy. Call me when you get there."

"Alright." I hugged my mom tightly. "I'll see you later."

"See you." She squeezed me. She wrapped Troy in a hug. "Alright, you guys have fun."

"We will." Troy said, smiling. He turned to me. "Who's driving first?"

I tossed him the keys. "You can." I walked over to the passenger side and got in. I put my seatbelt on and got comfortable. Troy got in and adjusted the seat and the mirrors. He reached over to touch my radio, I slapped his hand away. "Just because I let you drive my car, doesn't mean I'll let you touch my radio."

He gave me a look and sighed. "Fine." He turned on the car and shifted it into gear. "What do you want to eat?"

"I'm not really hungry." I said, searching through my pre-sets. "You hungry?"

"Nah, we can drive a little bit and then stop." He suggested.

"Alright." I said, licking my lips. I found a station and sat back in the seat.

Silence fell upon us as Troy focused on driving. I watched him for a moment. I don't know what on earth made him to decided to befriend me but I'm glad he did. I closed my eyes and laid my head back. "Do you know what you want to eat?" Troy asked me.

"Pizza sounds good." I said, opening my eyes to look at him.

"You eat pizza?" He asked raising his eyebrows.

I laughed quietly. "Why wouldn't I eat pizza?"

He laughed, shrugging. "I don't know, you have your weird boxing diet."

"I can still eat pizza, I'll just have to work it off tomorrow." I said, crossing my legs.

"Pizza it is then." He said, glancing at me.

We drove for about an hour and found a pizza place and walked inside. We were in a quaint little town outside of Santa Fe, a couple of stop lights. It looks like one of those towns where all there is to do is do drugs and get pregnant. I've lived in plenty of those towns. Troy put his arm around my waist as we looked at the menu.

"What kind of pizza do you like?" He asked me.

I played with the piercing on my upper lip. "Any really. Margarita pizza sounds good… ooh or the meat trio."

He chuckled. "I'll save you a few hundred calories and get the margarita." He said, rubbing my back slowly.

"I'll get a table." I said, walking away from him. I sat down and looked at a near by TV waiting for him.

"Hey Beautiful" A guy said sitting at the table next to me. "You from around here?"

I raised my eyebrows at him. "No, My boyfriend and I are on a road trip. We're driving to Vegas to get married." I smiled at him and put my hand on my stomach. "Little Caden is five weeks along. We want to do it before I get to big"

The kid looked uncomfortable. "Well, uh, congratulations." He walked away quickly as Troy sat down.

I laughed quietly to myself as Troy looked at me weird. "What was that about?"

I shook my head. "I told that guy we were on our way to get married in Vegas because I'm pregnant."

Troy raised his eyebrow at me. "And he believed you?" He slid over a cup. I nodded. "What an idiot."

I laughed. "I'm a good liar." I walked over to the drinks and filled my cup up with ice water. I sat back down and crossed my legs. I took a sip of my water.

"How do I know you haven't lied to me?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I only lie when necessary." I said. "I lied to that guy because he was creepy and I wasn't interested."

"Have you lied to me?" He asked me.

I shook my head. "No, I haven't."

"Are you lying now?" He asked.

"You're doing that thing again, where you're annoying." I said, smirking at him.

"And you're going to spend a whole weekend with me." He winked at me. "Want to make out?"

"Later." I said, rolling my eyes. I looked up at the TV and waited for our pizza. His foot rubbed up my leg. I looked over at him. "Do you have like blue balls or something?" I asked looking over at him.

"You do look good in those yoga pants." He said, with a small smirk.

"Oh dear lord." I muttered turning back to the TV. The guy delivered the pizza and two plates. "Thank you." I said before he walked away. I grabbed a piece of pizza and put it on the plate. "It's hot."

"Well, yeah." He said, picking up a piece for himself. We ate and talked about random things. I got a box and put the left over pizza in the box. We walked out of the pizza place. "I think I'm going to get a red bull, do you want anything?" Troy asked me.

"I'll go with you." I said, carrying the small box with us. There was a man sitting outside the liquor store. Troy went in first and I stopped. "Are you hungry?" I asked the man. He looked up at me. "Here" I handed him the box.

"Thank you." He said, giving me a small smile.

"You're welcome." I smiled at him and walked into the liquor store and ran into Troy. "Hey."

He smiled at me. "Hey." He took my hand and we walked over to the drinks. He pulled out a Red Bull. "Do you want one?"

I shook my head. "I like my kidneys stone free." I said, looking up at him.

"Is water all you drink?" He asked me.

"I drink coffee sometimes." I said, looking up at him. "An occasional Gatorade."

He shook his head at me. "You're so weird." He walked up to the front, I grabbed a bottle of water and followed him. "Do you eat anything unhealthy?" He paid for our drinks.

"I have a weakness for frozen pizza rolls. I could eat like forty of those at once." I said, laughing a bit.

"Superman has his kryptonite." Troy said, grabbing our drinks. He handed me the water and we walked out. We climbed into the car. I took a drink of my water and put the drink in the cup holder.

I looked over at him. "I'll drive when we get to Arizona."

He nodded, "Alright." I took a quick nap as Troy drove down the highway. I woke up just before we got to Arizona. I stretched my back out. I leaned over and rested my head on his shoulder. "Have a nice nap?"

"Yeah." I rubbed my eyes, looking at him.

"We're almost to Arizona now." He said stifling a yawn.

"We can switch if you want." I suggested, rubbing his arm.

"Alright." He pulled over to the side of the road. He turned off the car and climbed out. I climbed over the seat and I fixed my seat and my mirrors. Troy got in and buckled his seatbelt.

"Settled?" I asked. Troy nodded. I turned on the car and got back onto the highway. I focused on driving and Troy was quiet from next to me. I looked at the time as we passed the boarder. It was about midnight. I glanced over at Troy who looked like he was sleeping.

I turned the radio up a little bit and started humming along as I drove. I felt Troy's hand move to my thigh. I glanced over at him again. He was watching me drive. "You're beautiful." Troy said quietly, looking over at me.

"You're telling me this why?" I asked, glancing at him again.

He shrugged. "You need to know what affect you have on people."

"Enlighten me." I said, setting the cruise control.

"You have a tendency to surprise people, including me. Just when I think you can't get more interesting, you do." He said. "You're beautiful and you're smart and you're funny."

"Okay." I said, looking over at him for a quick second.

"You have nothing to say?" He asked.

"Thank you?" I said, shrugging. Troy sighed. "What do you want me to say? 'Oh, I just creamed my panties, Let's pull over and have sex.'"

Troy chuckled. "You don't take compliments very well do you?"

"Obviously." I said. His thumb rubbed against my thigh, making it harder for me to focus on the road.

"You're a good kisser." He said.

I laughed quietly. "Thank you."

"That one you took well." Troy noted, moving closer to me. "You smell good."

"I hope so."

"You have a nice ass." Troy smirked.

"What the hell do they put in that Red Bull?" I picked it up and sniffed it. "Just come out and say what you want to say, already."

"I want to kiss you again." He said, moving his hand from my thigh.

I smirked. "Well I'm a little busy right now."

Troy chuckled, sitting back in his seat. "You're impossible." I put my blinker on and got over. I drove a little bit in silence. I noted there was a rest stop coming up. I pulled into the rest stop and pulled into a parking spot. "Why did we stop?" Troy asked, looking around.

I unbuckled my seatbelt and climbed into his lap. I leaned down and kissed his lips firmly. He held onto my waist, pulling me closer to him. I parted my lips and he brushed his tongue against mine. I pressed my body against his. His hands trailed down my waist, he cupped my butt, pulling me closer. I sat down grinding my hips against his slowly. I moved my hands under his shirt, rubbing up and down his chest slowly.

Troy tilted his head more, his tongue battled against mine. His hands moved back up under my shirt. His fingers inched up my stomach slowly. I grabbed the back of his hair. I tore my lips away from his slowly. We breathed heavily for a moment, just looking at each other. I climbed off his lap and got back into the drivers seat.

I licked my lips and started the car again. We drove for about five minute before Troy spoke. "I definitely have blue balls now." He said.

I laughed quietly. "Well you better suck it up. You're going to meet my father in a couple of hours."

"Great." He mumbled, adjusting himself in his shorts. I put my hand on his thigh, rubbing slowly. "Don't be a tease Gabi." I smirked at him and focused on driving.

* * *

After another hour I had to pull over because Troy had to pee. I was getting tired when we were about 15 minutes away from Phoenix. I rolled down the window a little bit to let some fresh air in. I breathed in deeply. I looked over at Troy who was sleeping. I sighed quietly and licked my lips again. I can still feel his lips on mine. I shook out of my thoughts and looked at the piece of paper quickly. I got off on the right exit and pulled into a gas station.

I got out and walked into the little store. I went pee first then grabbed two coffees when I paid for gas. I walked back to the car and Troy was up. "Good morning sunshine." I said, handing him the coffees.

"Thank you." He said, taking a sip of one.

I walked over to gas pump and filled up. We only had to fill up once and that was before we left Albuquerque. Thank god for good gas mileage. I finished pumping and put the nozzle back. I closed the tank and closed the cover. I climbed back in the car and put my seat belt on. "We're only about 10 minutes away." I said, looking over at him.

He was looking out the window. "Look at that." He said quietly.

I looked out the window and we watched the sun rise. "Arizona always had the sunrises and sunsets. We lived in Tucson for a couple months when I was 12."

"It's beautiful." He said quietly. I turned to look at him. He leaned back and I ran my fingers through his hair. He gave me a soft smile. "We should get going, we're already off schedule."

I looked at the time. It was five in the morning. "Okay." I said quietly. I started my car and turned down street. I looked around and the neighborhood looked familiar. I sighed to myself. I pulled up in front of a familiar house. The house I lived in for the first five years of my life. I shook my head to myself.

"What?" He asked.

"He's such an asshole." I said quietly.

"Who?" He asked, looking at me.

I stared at the house. "That's the house I lived in for the first five years of my life. It's the house I probably was conceived in. It was the house my parents bought together before they got married. It was the house my dad decided to sleep with another woman in. It was a house he lived with her in for god knows how long. Now he's playing house in our house with some other family." I said, shaking my head. "He left for two months until my mom got a new job and we moved out. He moved back in."

"Do you want to go inside?" He asked quietly.

"No." I crossed my arms. "Can we keep driving to California?"

He rubbed my back slowly. "I'll be right here, if you need me. We can hop in the car and take a drive if it gets too much." He said quietly, leaning over to me. "Let's go let him know that we're here." He kissed the side of my head. I closed my eyes for a moment.

I pulled out my phone and called my mom. "Hello?" I heard her say.

"Hi. We're here." I said quietly.

"How is your dad?" She asked.

"I don't know, I haven't gotten inside yet. We're sitting in front of the house." I said, looking over at Troy. He was taking off his seatbelt, sipping his coffee.

"Gabi, go inside. Call me later." Mom said.

I sighed. "Fine, I'll talk to you later." I hung up and looked at Troy. "This was a bad idea."

"You'll be fine. Come on. Let's go say hello." He got out of the car.

I wiped my face and got out of the car as well. I walked over to Troy and grabbed his arm. We walked up to the door. "You do it, I cant." I said, shutting my eyes tightly. I opened my eyes and let out a deep breath. Troy rang the door bell and I held onto his arm tighter before I let go. I could do this.

A woman opened the door. "Hello? How can I help you?"

I blinked at her. "Is Robert Montez here?" I asked, before I looked up at Troy.

"Of course. Honey, door." She called out.

"Dear god." I said under my breath. I watched an older version of what I vaguely remember as my father walk to the door.

"Gabriella." He breathed out. He looked up at Troy. "You must be Troy. It's nice to meet you, Robert Montez."

Troy shook his head. "Hello Mr. Montez." I blinked at him.

"Gabi, this is my wife, Phoebe." My father said, putting his hand on the woman that answered the door. "Pheebs, this is my daughter Gabriella and her friend Troy."

"Wife?" I said raising my eyebrow.

"Oh Gabriella! I've heard so much about you!" She wrapped her arms around me in a hug. I just stood there. She pulled away. "It's nice to meet you Troy."

I rubbed my forehead. "It's way too fucking early for this." I said under my breath. Troy put his hand on my back.

"Come inside. Gabi, do you remember this house?" My father asked me, leading us inside.

"Of course." I said, looking around. It was different but that was inevitable. "That's the kitchen where my mother picked out the granite counter tops and those are the stairs where I'd listen you and my mom argue. And I was standing right about…" I moved three steps to the left. "Here when I told you I never wanted to talk to you again."

"Gabi." Troy said, looking at me.

"I'll go show you my old room, which probably is Phoebe's room for all her books for her book club, knitting needles and wine collection." I said sarcastically and walked up the stairs.

"Gabi, calm down." Troy said quietly from behind me. We approached the door. It had the name Aaron on it. My blood boiled. I opened the door and saw my old room was painted blue, young kid sleeping on a racecar bed, cars all over the floor. I closed the door quietly and I ran back down the stairs.

"Bullshit." I said, looking at my dad who was hugging that woman. "I shouldn't have even come here. Why did you force my mom to make me come here? So you can show me your perfect life? So you can tell me that leaving my mom and I was the right choice for you? Or so you can show me the house that I lived in when I was a little girl is now your home for your new family? I'm going back home. I don't even give a shit that I can't box next weekend. You should be so glad that I have self control." I walked out of the house, slamming the door behind me. I didn't care if I woke the kid up.

"Gabi, Gabi, Gabi, Gabi." Troy ran out of the door after me. "Gabi wait." He tried to grab my arm but I tore it away from him.

"I fucking hate him. I hate him. I hate him so much." I said, walking down the side walk away from that god forsaken house.

Troy followed me. "Gabi."

"No!" I yelled at him. "Don't even say it. I'm not going back in there. I'm not." I pushed him away from me and kept walking.

He sighed and walked back over to me. "Gabi… come on."

"No" I said, stopping finally. "You don't get it." He wrapped his arms around me, I pushed him away. "I'm not crying for him. I hate him. He doesn't deserve anything." He held his arms tighter around me. I gave up and wrapped my arms around him. I closed my eyes and laid my head against his chest.

I felt his fingers run through my hair slowly. He planted a kiss on the top of my head. I sighed and squeezed him tighter. "Do you want me to call your mom?" He asked quietly.

I shook my head. "No, I'll do it." I said quietly, pulling away from him. I pulled out my phone and called my mom again.

"Hello?" She answered again.

"I saw him, his wife and his other kid. I'm coming home now." I said, looking over at Troy. "I'm not spending any more time with them. I'm going to box even if I have to drive there myself. I really wish I had a punching bag right now."

She sighed. "Gabriella. I said hear him out, not step into his door and step out."

"I don't want to hear him out! Don't you understand that? I don't want to know why he married her or why she had their kid or why he broke up with his whore or why he did anything he did. He's dead to me. I don't have a father." I said, feeling myself get angry all over again. "I hate him. I'm done with him. He can rot in hell."

She sighed. "Stay in a hotel, come back tomorrow." Mom said before hanging up.

* * *

**Don't forget to review!**


	6. Flagstaff

Troy was driving up north towards Flagstaff. We decided we were going to take a hike at the grand canyon. We were tired but we decided we didn't want to sleep. I leaned against his arm as he drove. We were half way there. We were slowing down because traffic was catching up to us.

We were at a stand still about a half hour away from our destination. I looked over at Troy. "Thank you for coming with me. I wouldn't have came if I hadn't brought you along." I said honestly.

"I'm glad you invited me." He said, glancing at me. "We're getting closer, are you scared?"

I looked at him confused. "Am I scared of what?"

"Closeness. I'm disassembling your guard wall and infiltrating your mystery life." He said.

I laughed. "Don't use words you can't spell." Troy glared at me. "I was joking. No, I'm not scared anymore. I'm getting used to the idea of having somebody other than my mom and Shane in my life."

"He didn't call you today." Troy noted.

"He knows what I'm doing this weekend." I said, leaning my head against Troy's arm. Traffic started moving again. I laced my fingers with his, closing my eyes. The warmth of his palm was nice against mine. I relaxed, rubbing his arm with my free hand.

I must have passed out because Troy was shaking me away a while later. "Gabi, We're here." He released my hand and pushed my head up. I opened my eyes, it was bright.

"Where are we?" I asked, looking over at Troy then out the window.

"We're in the park at the south rim entrance. I paid 25 dollars to park." He said, continuing to drive slowly. "I talked to the ranger, they said they had some lodging, down a little bit. It's mostly reservations but since we are just staying for a night he said they might have a room." Troy said, looking around.

"Oh, well. We can find guest services and find something." I said, rubbing my eyes.

"I think I see it coming up." He murmured. He looked around and found guest services. We parked in front of the building and We got out. I grabbed my purse and we walked into the building. I stretched my back out. Sleeping in the car was not the greatest for my body.

I leaned against his back as he talked to the woman at the desk. I sat up, deciding I should actually listen to the conversation. "We have only one room available. It has one king bed and a full bathroom. Since it is last minute it would be 120 for the night." The woman said.

"That's fine, we'll take it." I said, opening my purse. I grabbed my mom credit card and handed it to her.

"You have a credit card?" He asked raising his eyebrow.

I shook my head. "Yeah… well technically moms. It's for emergencies." I explained. "I figure she expects a charge on this card under the , she made me come, she's going to pay for it." I licked my lips as the woman gave me back the card. I put it back in my wallet, zipping my purse.

She told us the location of the room we're staying in. She gave us the key. She also gave us some menus for the little restaurants and a couple of trail guides. "Thank you." Troy said as he took the documents.

We walked back in the car and Troy drove to the building we were staying in. We took our stuff over to the room. I opened the door and Troy walked in first since he had all the stuff. I closed the door and put all the papers on the small table next to the bed. "I guess we should call our parents." I said, looking at him.

"I suppose." He pulled out his phone and I pulled out mine. I let my mom know where we were and where we were staying. After the short conversation I hung up and put my phone on the bed side table. Troy hung up the phone not long after me. We laid on the bed for a minute. "What'd your mom say?"

"She said it was fine. She said we should leave by 12, even though were closer by two hours. She said she was going to call my dad then call me back." I informed him. "I think we should take a power nap, get some food and start our hike."

He nodded tiredly. "Nap sounds good."

We picked sides and I held my phone close to my chest, turning it on vibrate. I laid on the bed with my back facing him. Troy was tossing and turning next to me. He finally calmed down when he wrapped his arms around my waist. I scooted closer to him, laying my head against the pillow. His breathing evened, I knew he was sleeping.

My phone vibrated just as I closed my eyes. I answered my phone quietly, with my eyes closed. "Hello?"

"Hey Gabi." Mom said, sighing. "So I talked to your father."

"What did he have to say?" I asked.

"He's disappointed that you left. He wished you would have stayed but he understands. Phoebe was heartbroken that you think lowly of her. She wished she would have gotten the chance to bond with your brother." My mom said.

I scoffed. "I'm sure she did."

"Gabi, they're people just like you and me. Just because your father made a mistake doesn't mean you have to hold a grudge against him forever."

I sighed. "I know I don't have to. He deserves it. He LEFT us mom, he's playing house in your house. I know you loved that house more than anything. I don't know why you forgave him. Just because you did doesn't mean I'm going to. I don't have a complete family because of him. He did this to himself, he deserves everything he gets." I said, trying not to raise my voice.

"Gabriella." My mom sighed. "What's past is past. Everybody deserves a second chance."

"I don't fully believe that. Once a cheater, always a cheater. I wouldn't be surprised if he has another woman on the side. I feel sorry for Phoebe."

My mom sighed frustrated. "I'm disappointed in myself. I don't know how I raised you to act like this."

I laughed slightly, shaking my head. "You can thank Robert for that. His absence turned me into a cold, heartless, bitch. You can tell him I said that."

"I'll talk to you when I get home. Be safe Gabriella." My mom said before she hung up the phone.

I put my phone on the side table next to the bed. Troy pulled me closer in his arms and I cuddled up to him. I turned around and saw that he was awake. I gave him a half smile, pushing his hair back. "Go back to sleep." I said kissed my forehead before closing his eyes.

* * *

We took a short nap and got some lunch. I changed into some workout stuff I had brought and Troy changed as well. We followed a running trail. We ran until we found another trail. We hiked down about half way until we took a break.

"It's really beautiful out here." He said. We were sitting on the bench. We looked out at the canyon and I leaned back. "Serene. That's a word right?"

I laughed. "Yeah, that's a word." I patted his back. We watched a couple people walk by. "I always loved Arizona. My father kind of tainted Phoenix for me but every where else is gorgeous.

"I applied for ASU but I didn't get in." Troy said, looking out at the canyon. "I'm debating between Berkley, U of A and Duke."

I licked my lips. "Why those three?"

"Scholarships. Berkley because I love California. U of A because I'm close to family, just incase anything happens. Especially to my mom. Duke has a great basketball program." He said, turning to look at me. "Why'd you pick Stanford?"

"My parents went to Stanford. My mom talked me into it with her stories of California. Going to the beach every weekend. It was only a half hour away from the city or the ocean. She said I would love it there, because she did." I licked my lips. "I took her word for it."

Troy looked over at me. "Where else would you want to go? If you could pick any school where would you go?" He asked.

I thought for a moment. "My first option would be, I wouldn't have to go to college, I could just make a lot of money." We laughed quietly. "My second option would be go abroad, go to Spain or France or Africa, anywhere I wouldn't mind, go help people, learn first hand about culture. Option three would be Stanford."

He smiled at me. "You're really set on Stanford aren't you?"

"It's what I've always wanted growing up. It's why I worked my ass off at school." I said, rubbing my thighs. The clouds were slowly starting to cover up the sun. "Do you want to start heading back?" I asked, standing up.

"That sounds good." He said, standing up as well. "By the time we get back we can shower up and take a walk around town before dinner."

We made our way back up the trail. I made him list the pros and cons of going to each college. By the time we were at the stop he finished listing the cons of Berkley. "Okay, what about pros?" I asked, stretching out my legs for the run ahead of us.

"Okay, Pros. Great campus. Great Basketball Program. It's in California. Close to the beach. Great atmosphere. Great engineering department. It's close to you." He said, looking forward.

"Why would it matter if you're close to me?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"It would be nice to have a friend close. Chad's set on U of A. Zeke is going to some fancy culinary school in France. Jason is staying in Albuquerque. You'd be right across a bridge." He said looking at me.

I licked my lips. "I guess that's true. What do you want to study?"

"I'm not even sure yet. I kind of want to be a teacher or maybe business or Engineering." Troy said, rubbing his nose.

I nodded. "Let's get running." I took the first step running and Troy quickly caught up next to me. We ran the three miles back and got into the car. We drove over to where we were staying. Troy let me shower first. I took a quick shower and came out wrapped in a towel. Troy walked in after me and I got changed quickly brushing my hair and braiding it back. I sat on my bed, looking through my phone and Troy came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. I looked at his chest. I had to admit he had a nice body. I found it hard to look away. But I did when he caught me staring at him.

He just smirked at me and pulled some boxers on under his towel before removing it from his body. He put some jeans on and a t-shirt. He rubbed the towel against his hair before smoothing it back with his fingers. I licked my lips and put my phone down.

"Did you think about what you wanted for dinner?" I asked, looking at him.

He turned to face me. "Honestly, I just want a fat cheeseburger."

I sighed. "That sounds so good. Let's get one, but you can't tell Shane."

He chuckled. "Deal."

* * *

We looked at the menu's the Guest Service lady gave us and we found a place that looked good. We walked there, it wasn't that far. South Rim was like it's own little town. It was beautiful. Once we got to the little restaurant we got seated and ordered our food. I watched Troy demolish his cheese burger, I only ate half of mine. I wasn't really that hungry, I filled up mostly on water. We sat there for a minute because Troy claimed he couldn't move.

"You know, for an athlete you have a very loose diet." I noted, resting my chin against my knuckles. "Shane would kill me if he knew I annihilated my cheeseburger, let alone had one."

Troy shrugged, mixing his ice with his straw. "Boy athletes are different than girl athletes. It's easier for us to burn it off. Besides, it's not basketball season. I can eat whatever I want." He smiled proudly.

I smiled back at him. "You're lucky. I mean, I was never overweight but I'm in the best shape I've ever been in. That's what makes me a champion." I smirked at him. He rolled his eyes at me. "Ready for a night run?" I joked.

He groaned and held his stomach. "If you want to see me throw up."

The waiter came back with my receipt and my card. I put both in my purse and got up. "Let's go, a nice walk will make you feel better." I zipped up my sweater and pushed in my chair.

Troy got up and we walked out into the crisp evening air. We decided to walk the opposite direction of our room, go see the other side of the little town. He laced his fingers in between mine. I walked closer to him as we made the loop back the other way. "You're right, I do feel better."

I shrugged. "I'm like jeopardy. Full of useless information."

He chuckled. "When I first saw you, I never thought we'd be this close."

"What changed your mind?" I asked, watching where we walked. I felt his eyes on me.

"When you were talking about Shakespeare in Darbus' class. That's what made me bother you at lunch that day. I've only read a couple of his plays but I actually understand them. Unlike people like Chad who shudder anytime you mention the word English. If I was a teacher, I'd be an English teacher- even though I can't spell to save my life." Troy chuckled.

I smiled up at him. "That's what spell check is for right?"

He nodded, with a small smile on his face. "I suppose."

"I'm surprised you aren't all gung ho about going into the NBA." I said as we passed the restaurant. The dim street lights were guiding our way back to the hotel.

"I was, if you'd met me two years ago all your accusations of me would have been true. I grew up a little bit more when my mom had her first cancer scare. She had cervical cancer and they took like half of her lady parts out." He said quietly. "Now that it's back I just…" He trailed off.

I rubbed his arm slowly. "She's strong. She beat it once, she needs all the support she can get to beat it again." I said, looking up at him. "You can be there for her. And I'll be here for you."

"Thank you." He said quietly. "Chad knows, he doesn't like to talk about it. I don't like to talk about it either, but sometimes I get this need to. Dad wants to be in denial about it. Mom is going through it so I never had someone to talk to about it."

I licked my lips. "Like I said, I'll be here for you."

Troy stopped walking in the middle of the side walk. I stopped walking as well. He pulled me back to him slowly. He hooked the fingers of his free hand in between mine. "You don't know how much that means to me." He said quietly. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss against my lips. It wasn't hungry and demanding as the kiss in the car last night and it wasn't presumptuous was the one in my room. It was a genuine, nice kiss.

I leaned up and kissed him back slowly. I pulled my lips away from his, letting my head fall against his chest. It's only been a week but I couldn't help these feelings that I felt when he was around me. I licked my lips. "That was… different." I looked up at him.

He leaned down and kissed me again. He released my hands this time and slipped them around my waist. I wrapped my arms around his neck, running my fingers though his hair. He pulled away from me slowly, taking my hand again. He started walking and I followed after him a bit confused.

Troy was quiet all the way to our room. The silence was throwing me off. He usually couldn't keep his mouth shut. I don't know if I said something wrong or what? I sighed as he opened the door to the room. I let go of his hand and walked over to my suitcase. I wasn't up for playing games. If he wanted to play hot and cold, I wouldn't play at all.

I grabbed a pair of pajama bottoms and a shirt and walked into the bathroom. I changed into my pajamas and walked out, putting my clothes in my bag. I stood up and looked around the room. Troy was nowhere to be found. I furrowed my eyebrows and walked over to the sliding glass door that lead to a balcony. Troy wasn't out there. I slid it open anyway and stepped on the balcony. I left the door open and leaned against the rail.

It was a beautiful night. It was a little cold but that was okay. The stars were bright. I looked up at them, letting out a breath. "Hey." Troy said from behind me. I jumped a little, turning to face him. "Sorry, for scaring you."

"It's fine." I said, leaning against the rail.

"I brought you some ice cream." He said, holding two fudge bars.

I sighed at him. "Are you trying to get me fat?"

He chuckled, shaking his head. "It's fat free." He smirked. I grabbed it from him and took a bite of it. He winced at me. "God, how do you do that?"

"Great dental hygiene, strong enamel." I smirked at him, sucking on the piece in my mouth. I licked my lips. "Boxers diet requires no soda, ruins your teeth."

He chuckled. "So does getting punched in your face."

I smiled at him, tapping my teeth. "All real baby, and we have mouth guards for that." I licked my teeth before taking another bite of the ice cream. He stood next to me, leaning against the railing.

"What was your last relationship like?" He asked, licking his ice cream.

"My last one wasn't that bad. I went out with this guy named Caleb. He was different then the guys I normally date. I dated him for two months, we broke up a month before I moved here. He liked to hang around all the time. He was cute in that nerdy kind of way. He didn't understand my commitment to boxing, he was infatuated by the fact that he could talk about Star Wars and I knew what he was talking about." I took another bite, looking over at Troy.

He chuckled quietly. "You like Star Wars?"

"Star Wars is the shit. I've been Princess Leia every year for Halloween since I was six." I said with my mouth full.

Troy laughed and shook his head at me. "You're so cute."

I rolled my eyes at him and looked ahead of me. "What about your last relationship?"

"Brooke Thomas. The cheerleader. She was fun for a little bit but all she talked about was Justin Bieber." I winced. "I wanted to sew her mouth closed, but she broke up with me because I told her, he looked like a girl, then her friend told me she only dated me because I had 'Bieber hair' so I cut all my hair off."

I laughed out loud, covering my mouth. "That's tragic."

He shook his head. "I'm just glad it's over and my hair grew back. It's not as long as it was before."

"I think it looks nice. It's long enough to grip and short enough so you don't look like a lesbian." I gripped his hair.

"Ow." He said, when I tugged on his hair. I smiled apologetically. We finished our ice cream and Troy had chocolate on the side of his mouth. I pointed it out to him. "What?" He just looked at me confused. I pulled his head down towards me. I licked the side of his mouth and he just looked at me.

"You had ice cream on your fa-" He cut me off by pressing his lips firmly against mine.

* * *

**hehehe, just a little tease for what's coming up next. I'm sure y'all are dying to know what is going to happen. You'll have to wait and see. (insert evil smiley emoticon here) The last chapter of superstar will be out tomorrow! I love you guys! Don't forget to review!**


	7. Bath

Troy pulled away just as quick as he kissed me. I licked my lips and pulled him back to me. I jumped on him, wrapping my legs around his waist. He held onto my legs as he walked us inside. He held me with one arm as he closed the door behind us. The warmth of the room felt good against my bare arms.

He set me down against the bed, pulling away from my lips. My eyes flicked up to his, he stared at me for a moment before walking back towards the door. He started closing the curtain. I got up and I locked the door, dimming the lights. I dug through my bags. I now understood why I found condoms slipped into my bag, probably by my mother.

I felt two arms wrap around my waist, a pair of lips on my neck. I closed my eyes and turned around. My hands ran down his now bare chest. I kissed his lips firmly, wrapping my arms around his neck. He walked me towards the bed. This time laying on top of me when I fell on my back. His kisses moved down my lips to my neck, sucking lightly.

I bit my bottom lip, unbuttoning his jeans. I started tugging them down slowly. He pulled away from my neck to lift my shirt off. He lips started just above my belly button, making their way up to the valley between my breasts. Somehow he unhooked my bra and pulled it off within a matter of seconds.

My hand slipped into his boxers, stroking him slowly. "Fuck." Troy muttered. I laughed quietly as he kissed up to my neck. "Why are you laughing?" He asked quietly.

"I've never heard you cuss before. Your perfect mouth shouldn't be saying that dirty word. It's kind of hot." I finished tugging down his pants

He smirked at me. "You like when I talk dirty?" He husked, kissing beneath my ear. I just laughed quietly, stroking his penis slowly. Troy unbuttoned my pants, slipping his hand inside. "So wet." He noted, dipping a finger in me slowly. He pulled it out, pulling down my jeans. I lifted my legs up and he tossed my pants across the room along with my underwear.

I rolled on top of him, pinning his chest down. I kissed his lips firmly, grabbing the condom off the side table where I left it. "I don't know how we got here, but I need you now." I opened the package, rolling on the condom slowly.

He rolled back on top of me. He cupped my breasts, leaning down to run his tongue against each nipple. I bit my bottom lip and closed my eyes. He entered me slowly. I grabbed onto his back, squeezing my eyes shut. "Oh, god. You aren't-" He looked at me, slightly horrified.

I shook my head. "No, it's just been a while." I said quietly. The slight discomfort subsided. "It's okay, go." I looked up at him and licked my lips. I pulled his lips down to mine, kissing his lips firmly. He pushed in further before pulling back. His hips moved rhythmically against mine. I let out a quiet moan.

Troy pulled his lips away from mine, licking his fingers quickly before replacing them. His fingers came in contact with my clit, rubbing in sensuous circles. I bit his bottom lip, tugging teasingly. He smirked at me, sucking on my neck firmly. I dug my fingernails into his back. I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him down against me. "You're so tight." He mumbled against my neck. "Fuck."

"Mmm, faster." I said quietly, letting out a shaky breath. I grabbed the back of his hair, arching my back. He picked up his pace, plunging into me. "Fuck Troy." I dropped my hands and gripped the sheets. He felt amazing.

Troy let out a short groan. He kissed my lips firmly. "I like when you say my name." He held stood on his knees and held my legs up. "You're so beautiful Gabi, fuck." He gripped my ankles a little tighter, I rolled my hips.

I locked my ankles around his neck and he leaned forward to kiss my lips firmly. He put his hands on my hips, lifting them up and supporting them. I moaned at the new position. "Oh, Troy." I squeezed my walls around him. He bit his bottom lip, his eyes locked on mine. "I'm-" I started. I covered my mouth with my hand, biting it.

Troy groaned and holding my waist. We both had arrived and he collapsed on top of me. I dropped my legs to the bed and tried to catch my breath. Troy's head rest in between my boobs. "Your heart is going crazy." He said quietly.

I laughed, running my fingers through his hair. "Thanks?" He rolled off me and I sat up. I got off the bed and walked towards the bathroom.

"Hey, wait!" He took off the condom and handed it to me.

I reluctantly took it. "Oh, goodie. I've always wanted a baby." I jiggled the used condom. He had a horrified expression on his face, I burst out laughing. "Kidding." I said, dropping it in the trash before walking into the bathroom.

When I came out of the bathroom he was under the covers, watching TV. He'd pulled the comforter off and I put on some clean underwear and his shirt. I climbed into bed with him. I wrapped his arms around me and I leaned my head on his chest as we watched TV. Friends was on. "Joey or Chandler?" He asked, looking at me.

"For what?" I asked.

"Would you rather be friends with Joey or Chandler?" He asked, looking at the TV.

I licked my lips. "Joey." I said. "Definitely a Joey."

"Me too." He said, pulling me closer.

"I've always wanted to be a part of a friend group like that. But if I was, I was always the Rachel. She irritates the hell out of me. I want to be a Phoebe. Even though she seems so lonely, she always makes the best out of everything." I said, watching the program.

Troy kissed the top of my head. "Phoebe is my favorite."

I smiled to myself as it switched to commercial. It was the Ear Vac, some As-seen-on-TV scam. "This commercial makes me laugh." I smiled as the guy stuck the Q-tip too far in his ear and screamed. I giggled to myself. "Who does that?"

Troy chuckled from next to me. "That is not how you clean your ears." He said. "You twist not dig, you don't rupture your eardrum."

"So stupid." I said shaking my head. "We should buy one, see if it works." I licked my lips. "I couldn't wait to turn 18 so I could buy all the products on infomercials. I'm 18 and I hadn't bought anything yet."

"You can get half of that stuff at Rite-aid." He said, playing with the end of my braid. He tickled the hair against my face. I smacked his hand away. "Ow."

"Stop fucking with me." I said, paying attention to the TV.

Troy chuckled. "Stick a dick in you and the inner sailor comes out."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't be vulgar."

He scoffed. "I am not vulgar."

"You're right, you're condescending." I said, laying on my side. "We should get some sleep. We have to check out, eat, and be on the road by noon."

"Okay." He said, sliding down to be face-to-face with me. He kissed my lips gently. "Goodnight."

I smiled at him. "Night." I turned in his arms and laid with my back facing him. He spooned me, holding me securely in his arms.

* * *

The next morning we got up at nine. I jumped in the shower first and got changed. Troy did the same and we checked out of our room. We were now at a IHOP waiting for our pancakes. I took a sip of my water. He was still looking at the menu, even though we had already ordered.

"It's not a life decision, we're just eating pancakes." I said, watching him.

"I know but I want to make sure I made the right choice." I rolled my eyes at him. "So who's driving first, me or you?" He asked, looking at me.

"It doesn't matter." I said, taking another sip of water. "What kind of pancakes did you get anyway?"

"The cinnamon ones." He said, finally putting the menu down.

"Those are good… or so I've heard." I said, watching the waiter bring out our food. Troy just stared at me. I picked up my fork. "What?"

He shook his head. "Nothing." Troy dug into his pancakes and I started eating my omelet. We ate and paid and got into the car. I called my mom to tell her we were leaving now. Troy decided to drive the first haul.

As we got an hour into our drive we took a pit stop at a gas station. "I'll pump." I announced getting out of the car. I pumped the gas and got back in the car. I noticed Troy staring at me. "What?"

He shook his head. "I'm just trying to figure out what this is."

"What, what is?" I asked, turning my head to look at him.

"Us… Last night." Troy said slowly.

I buckled my seat belt when he got back onto the high way. "Well I don't have casual sex. We did what we did because I'm obviously attracted to you. I care about you." I slid my hands under my thighs. "You were the second person I've ever had sex with."

"Who was the first?" He asked.

I shut my eyes. "Dare guy. San Diego was quite a place."

Troy didn't say anything. I opened my eyes and he was shaking his head as he drove. "I would like to give that asshole a piece of my mind."

I rubbed the back of his neck. "Don't worry, I already took care of him."

"I can't believe somebody would do that to you." He said, quietly.

I licked my lips. "Well I gave him an easy target. I just moved to San Diego. I was 16 and desperate." I laughed at myself. "There isn't much I can do now except laugh at my stupidity."

Troy sighed and kept driving. I turned on the radio and I crossed my legs, leaning back into the seat. He smirked at me when I started humming. "You listen to music like this?"

I ignored him and kept humming. "Your sex is on fire!" I spoke the lyrics monotonely.

He smirked even bigger. "Is this song about an STD? Your sex shouldn't be on fire. Isn't that like Herpes or something?"

I laughed at him. "Gonorrhea."

He chuckled. "Why is it called 'the clap'?"

"I don't know and I don't intend to find out." I said, switching to the CD that was in the player. Journey's 'Don't Stop Believing' started playing. "Shane made me this CD. He says it's a great work out mix."

Troy chuckled. "Why is it in your car then?"

"Motivation." I said, "It's there whenever I need it."

"Ah, I see." Troy said, focusing on the road. "Have you ever been in love?"

"What?" I asked, looking over at him.

"Have you ever been in love?" He repeated.

I licked my lips. "I'm 18, I don't know what love is."

"Me either." He said quietly. The CD switched to the next track. Troy glanced at me with a smirk on his face. "Hells Bells?"

I laughed, nodding. "How can you have a workout CD without Hells Bells on it?"

He shook his head, smiling as he drove. I got to drive about a half hour into New Mexico. Troy was getting tired. I looked at the time. It was about three in the afternoon. We should get home and have beat traffic. "So is it going to be awkward at school tomorrow?" He asked me.

I licked my lips. "Probably." I glanced at him and he looked at me with disbelief. "What? I'm being honest with you."

"It doesn't have to be awkward." Troy said, watching me drive.

"Well I don't kiss and tell, or fuck and tell in this circumstance. We can pretend like everything's dandy if you don't tell poodle or any of your friends." I chewed on my lip. "God knows everybody in high school has loose lips."

I felt his look burn my skin but I didn't look at him. "Are you like ashamed or something?"

"No. I just don't want everybody to know that we had sex. It's none of their business. Whatever happens to you and me stays between you and me." I sniffed. "You should keep it that way if you want me in your life."

"Alright, I just wanted to know." Troy said, looking out the window.

"You understand where I'm coming from right?" I asked, glancing at him.

"Yeah." He said distractedly.

The last length of the ride was awkwardly quiet. I kept the radio up to fill the void. I pulled up to my house and parked in the drive way. I turned to Troy and figured out why he was so quiet. He passed out on the door. I unhooked my seatbelt and leaned over, kissing his cheek. "Troy, wake up." I said quietly in his ear. "You're home."

He groaned quietly, blinking a couple times. "What time is it?"

"Almost five thirty." I said, sitting back in my seat, popping open the trunk. I climbed out of the car and opened my trunk. Troy met me at the trunk and he took his things out of the car. "I'm just going to put my stuff inside." I said, taking my bags and closing the trunk.

I walked inside and my mom wasn't home. Her car wasn't in the drive way. I put my bags in my room and peaked out the window. Troy was waiting for me in the driveway. I walked down stairs and met him by the car. I pushed the lock button and we walked over to his house. I helped him with his things. "You don't have to help me." He said, opening his door.

"Well it's too late for that." I said with a soft smirk.

He chose not to respond to me. "Mom I'm home." He called. I helped him bring his bag up stairs. We set his stuff down before we walked back down stairs. His mom greeted us at the bottom.

"Oh Hello Gabriella, how was your trip?" She asked me.

"It turned out better than planned. My father and I have our differences. I didn't feel comfortable spending the weekend with him and I didn't want Troy to be even more uncomfortable since he was staying in a strangers house. Let's just say, if we had stayed with my father, it would have been very awkward." I looked over at Troy, then I looked at his mom. "I want to say thank you for letting him come with me. I couldn't have done it without him."

Lucy smiled at me. "I'm sure he had a wonderful time." She looked over at him.

"I should get going." I said. "I just wanted to say thank you again, Mrs. Bolton."

"Lucy." She corrected. "It was nice to see you again Gabriella."

"I'm going to walk her home, Ma. I'll be back in five minutes." Troy said.

I shook my head. "I'm fine, Troy, really."

"I'll be right back." Troy said to his mother. He put his hand on my back and we walked out the door. Troy closed the door behind him and I kept walking. "I really did have fun this weekend."

I gave him a small smile. "I'm glad. It was better than staying with my dad. Imagine the five minutes we were there times a million." He winced. "Yeah. I don't want any part of him, or his woman." I sighed. "Now everytime I think of her I think of FRIENDS."

Troy chuckled. "I think we were pretty dazed after the sex when we were talking about FRIENDS and when we were talking about that ear vaccum commercial."

I nodded. "That commercial is so stupid." I said shaking my head. We made it up to the porch. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, bright and early."

He nodded. "Yes, school. I have to finish my homework tonight." He groaned to himself. "Shit."

"You should have done it before we left." I said, crossing my arms.

He shrugged. "Oh well."

"What are you going to say when one of your students says 'oh well' when he doesn't do his homework?" I asked, raising my eyebrow.

"I'd say it's 'oh well' for his grade."

I smiled at him. "Exactly, do your homework." I kissed his lips quickly. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Troy smiled at me. "Goodnight, Gabi."

I opened the door and walked inside. Mom still wasn't home. I walked upstairs and decided to run myself a nice bath. I turned on the radio and got undressed. I stepped into the tub letting the bubbles surround me. I let out a content sigh. "Gabi." I heard Troy say.

I looked up at him confused. "What?" I said, looking up at him. "Did you forget something?"

"Kinda." He said, walking over to me. He kneeled beside my bathtub.

"Okay, what is it?" I asked. He kissed me slowly. When he pulled away I raised my eyebrow at him. "Is that it?"

He chuckled. "No my wallet is in the middle part of your car."

I shook my head at him. "The key's are in my pants I think." I pointed on the floor.

He picked up my pants and my underwear fell out of them. He held them up. "Cute." I glared at him. He took the keys out of my pocket. "I'll be right back."

"Alright." I laid back, resting my head at the edge of the tub.

Troy walked back into the room a few moments later. "Got my wallet." He said, showing me before putting it in his back pocket. He put the keys on the edge of the sink and walked over to me again. He knelt down beside me and kissed my lips firmly. I brought my arms out of the water and held his face. I brushed my tongue against his, tilting my head slightly.

He put his hand on my waist, not caring how wet his hand was getting. His hand slowly drifted down my side. He leaned more towards me so I could lean back against the side of the tub. Troy's hand made it all the way to my thigh. His other hand on the back of my neck. I don't know what it was about him but every time I was around him, I wanted him. "Touch me." I whispered, kissing his lips firmly.

I lifted a leg out of the water, setting it on the ledge of the bathtub. He rubbed my clit slowly before dipping a finger in. I let out a soft breath. I gripped the back of his hair as he added another finger. He pushed his fingers in and out of me slowly. He pulled his fingers out, moving back to my clit. I squeezed my eyes shut, biting down on his lip. I was so turned on I felt like I was about to explode. He moved a little bit faster as I let out a shaky breath. I looked at him as I arrived. My body was warm and I kissed his lips firmly.

"Gabi, I'm home!" Mom yelled from down stairs.

I pushed him away from me. "Dry your arm off. Tell her I just got in the tub and I'll be out in a minute." I kissed his lips firmly before I pushed him away from me. He dried his arm and walked out of the door quickly.

After a couple of minutes my mom walked in the room. "Hey, I just saw Troy, he was leaving." Mom sat down on the little decorative stool in the bathroom. "So how was your weekend?"

"Better than I expected." I said, looking over at her. "I negate the whole dad thing, and my weekend was pretty fun."

She grinned at me. "So tell me what happened!" She was like a teenaged girl.

"Well after we left phoenix we drove up to Grand Canyon Village, this quaint little town at the South Rim of the Canyon. We got a room and it wasn't that bad for last minute. We got changed and ate and took a run and we hiked a little ways down the canyon. We talked for a little bit then we ran back and drove back to our room. We got changed and went to dinner and took a walk around town." I said. "It was nice."

"I'm glad you had a good time. I doubt I'll ever let you do it again but you seem happier. And I know that isn't from seeing your father. What's going on between you and Troy?" Mom leaned in to listen intently.

"We're friends." She gasped. I laughed. "I know, I'm capable of having friends. He's as nice and considerate as you think he is."

Mom beamed at me. "Good. Lucy and I have become good friends. We're glad that you and Troy are too."

I laughed a little bit. "I'm glad."

"You look a little flushed, is the bath too hot?" She asked, staring at me.

I nodded my head furiously. "I had it scalding for the first couple minutes and then I turned it to freezing. It evens out the temperature."

"Right, well I'm going to go start dinner. Do you want anything in specific?" She asked, walking towards the door.

I shook my head. "Something light. I've been eating junk all weekend."

"Got it." She said, walking out of the room, closing the door behind her. Once she shut the door, I let out a breath of relief and relaxed against the tub.

* * *

**Hey guys. Tuedays and Thursdays are the new home for Those who wander. It's the days i get out pretty early from school. So happy Tuesday. Tuesdays are the greatest. Pretty Little Liars is on today. I get so into it lol. I'll see y'all on Thursday :) I love you guys. Don't forget to review!**


	8. Routine

It was Monday again. I grabbed everything I needed before pulling my hair into a pony tail. I grabbed my bag and walked down stairs. Mom was already gone. I set my stuff on the couch and made myself some breakfast. I ate slowly. I felt like I was forgetting something. I had my phone, my books, I finished my homework, I ate breakfa- Car keys! I needed my keys. Where the hell were they?

I finished the rest of my breakfast, putting my plate in the sink. I walked out side and looked in the car window but they weren't in the car. I checked the couch and remembered I hadn't sat on that couch since we moved here. I ran upstairs and checked my bed, around my room. I picked up my pants. That I wore yesterday.

My underwear was gone. Fucking Troy. That pervert. The bubble bath. Bathroom. It all came back to me now. I walked in the bathroom and my keys were sitting on the counter where Troy left them. "Fucking Troy." I let out a breath as I ran back down stairs. I picked up my stuff and got in my car.

I parked in my spot and walked into school when I got there. I opened my locker and put my books that I didn't need inside. "Hey Gabi-boo." Troy said, as he opened his locker.

I made a face at him. "Gabi-boo?" I asked slowly.

Troy shrugged. "I'm going to make up nicknames until I find one I like."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Did you finish your homework?"

"Yes, mom." He said, taking his book out.

"Alright, Oedipus." I said as I closed my locker.

"Oedipus?" He asked, confused.

"The Oedipus complex? When a child wants to fuck their mom and kill their dad? Didn't you read Oedipus Rex?" He just stared at me blankly. "You're going to be a horrible English teacher." I joked.

He chuckled at me then sighed. "I know, I can barely spell English." He joked.

"Hey Troy! Hey Gabi!" I heard an unusually chipper voice from behind me. I turned around to see Sharpay.

"Hey Sharpay." Troy acknowledged. "I'll see you in class Gabi." He walked away from me.

Fucking Troy. "Hey Sharpay." I said, looking at her.

"You look good, What did you do this weekend?" She asked, leading me towards our class.

"I went to Arizona." I said, looking at her. "What did you do?"

She sighed dramatically. "Nothing. I was supposed to go to the mall but Ryan was going to hang out with Kelsi all weekend and" She sighed again. "They never want to hang out with me. You know I don't have many girl-friends. I have Ryan, and Kelsi. But I don't think Kelsi really likes me. Ryan says I'm too aggressive with her. Well I'm sorry I know what I want, how I want it, when I want it."

I raised my eyebrows at her. "You are a little aggressive, but there is nothing wrong with that." I said, looking up at her.

"Do you want to go to the mall with me next weekend?" She asked hopefully.

"I can't I'm going to Vegas." I said, looking up at her. "I box."

"You box?" She asked.

"You know like, in a ring, with another person, punching?" I did a couple motions. "Boxing."

"Wow." She looked at me. "I would never expect that. I mean, you're manicure is perfect." She held up my hand.

"I wrap them up. I take good care of my hands." I said, taking my hand back. "Maybe the weekend after." I offered.

Sharpay smiled brightly. "Alright."

I walked into class to see Troy sitting in Chad's seat and Chad sitting in back next to Taylor. He was clearly talking to her and she was clearly ignoring him. I smirked a little bit. "Playing cupid?" I asked, as I sat down in front of Troy.

"He wishes I could get her to love him." Troy chuckled. He turned back to look at them. I faced forward in my seat.

Mrs. Darbus came in and we settled down. She started talking about something and I pulled a new book out of my purse and flipped open to the first page. I held up the 'Early Works of Shakespeare' Book and I saw Mrs. Darbus was about to say something, but she didn't. This was too easy. I smirked to myself as I started the first play in the book.

I was lost in Richard III when the bell rang. I folded down the ear of the page and closed the book. I stuck it in my purse and got up. I grabbed my books and headed out of the class room. "Gabi, wait!" Troy called from behind me. I stopped and turned around. Troy almost collided into me. "Go here at lunch." He said handing me a piece of paper. "See you then." He walked away from me. I opened up the note. It was directions. I folded it back up and stuck it in my pocket.

* * *

At lunch time, I made a stop at my locker to get my lunch. I remembered the note in my pocket and I pulled it out. I closed my locker and read the first sentence. "Go to the end of the Science (B) hall." I read quietly. I looked up. I was in the D hall. I walked towards my Chemistry classroom. I found the hall and opened the note again. "Go to Double doors with Emergency Exit sign. Don't worry, alarms won't sound." I read again. "Then walk up the steps." I folded the note and put it in my pocket.

I found the doors and hesitantly walked through them. The alarm didn't sound. I walked up the stairs and was met with another set of double doors. I opened it and the sun was bright compared to the dark hallway I was just in. I walked onto the roof and looked around. It looked like a tropical garden. It was beautiful and the view was killer.

"Hey." Troy's voice said from behind me. I turned around and he was sitting under a gazebo, on a bench. "You found it." He said, smiling.

I smirked. "I take direction well." I walked over to him, sitting next to him.

"Welcome to the Garden. East High has a Garden club. They plant one new plant every year and study it." He explained.

"Ah." I said, pulling out my lunch. "Why are you up here then?"

Troy smiled at me. "I got pissed off at Darbus freshman year so I left early and ended up here. Nobody comes up here during school." He explained. "I ditched for a whole day and just sat up here."

I laughed. "Aren't you a badass." I said sarcastically.

"The baddest." He chuckled.

I smirked. "More like the Assiest." He rolled his eyes at me. "So why are we up here?" I asked, pulling out my sandwich.

"To eat." He said, doing the same.

"We can't eat in the cafeteria or by the fountain like I normally do?" I asked, raising my eyebrow at him.

He shrugged. "Because we'll get interrupted. Being popular comes with a price."

I sighed. "You're being condescending again." I took another bite of my sandwich.

"I was joking, cupcake." He said, looking at me. I rolled my eyes at the nick name. He took the sandwich from my hands and set it down on the plastic bag I brought it in. He pulled me into his lap. He kissed my lips slowly. "I want to be able to kiss you without interruptions."

I licked my lips and shook my head at him. "You're mouth is going to be attached to mine. How can I eat my lunch?"

Troy nodded. "You're right. We can eat then we can make out." He said, handing me my sandwich.

"How thoughtful." I took it and took another bite.

He ate his sandwich with me on his lap. He dug around his bag, looking for whatever else was in there. He opened a bag of chips. I stuck my hand in his bag and I took a chip. "Hey, didn't say anything about sharing lunch." He tried to bite the chip out of my hand. I shoved it in my mouth and laughed. "Aren't you on a boxing diet?" He smirked.

I ate my chip slowly. "I can have one chip. It won't kill me." I said, taking another bite of my sandwich. Troy took a bite of my sandwich. "Hey!" I said, covering my full mouth.

"Karma." He said, with his mouth full. I made a face at him.

"That is so gross." I said, after swallowing. I picked up my water bottle and took a drink.

I finished the rest of my sandwich and put my zip lock in the paper bag I brought. "You done?" He asked, watching me.

"Can I chew in peace?" I asked, covering my mouth.

He shook his head and started kissing my neck slowly. "You know you heal, really easily? I left you a hickey and it's gone."

"You don't suck very strong." I said, smirking.

"I was going easy on you." He said.

I laughed. "Yeah right."

"I'm serious."

I rolled my eyes. "This is how you leave a hickey." I placed a couple small kisses along his neck. I bit down firmly, sucking harshly against his neck. I ran my tongue along his neck slowly, biting down on a small piece of skin. I started sucking again firmly. I knew I was doing something right when he let out a small groan. I led a trail of kisses over to his Adam's apple. I brushed my tongue along the curve of his neck. I nibbled along his neck back to the place I started. My lips attached to his neck again, sucking firmly. I bit down again.

"Ow." He said.

I pulled away. "Don't worry I didn't draw blood." I smiled at him and I wiped his neck off. I started giggling. "Oh man, look at that."

Troy sighed. "I guess I set myself up for this didn't I?"

I nodded. "Everybody is going to think you're a total man slut, getting it on during school."

"Man slut?" He raised his eyebrows.

I picked up my purse. I pulled out some makeup. "It's a little dark but I don't think it will be that different." I put some makeup on my fingers and smoothed it along the hickey. It definitely wasn't as bright as it was before. It just made him look kind of dirty. I laughed to myself.

"What? Is it working?" He asked me.

"It makes you look kinda dirty but it looks better." I closed the make up and put it back in my purse. I wiped my finger on my leg. "Where were we?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Here." He leaned in and kissed my lips firmly.

The bell rang and I pulled away from him. I licked his lips slowly, climbing off of him. "I'll see you later." I gave him another kiss before walking downstairs with my things. I licked my swollen lips and walked into the hallway. I walked to my class.

* * *

After school, I walked over to my car to see Troy leaning against it. I sighed to myself walking over to him. "Can I help you?" I asked, looking at him.

"I got lots of compliments on my hickey in class." He said, opening my door when I unlocked it.

I got into the car and looked up at him. "You had to tell me that in person?"

"I just wanted to see you, angel face." He said, smirking.

"I cannot take you seriously with those nicknames." I buckled my seatbelt.

He smiled at me. "You secretly love them. I can see it in your eyes."

"Can I go now? I have homework and training to do." I said, waiting for him to close the door.

Troy grinned at me. "I'll see you tonight, boo boo." He winked at me as he closed the door.

I ignored the nickname. "What are you going to do? Sneak into my room."

"Maybe." He said through the glass before walking away.

I turned on the car, letting out a deep breath. "What did you get yourself into Gabriella?" I wiped my face with my hands.

I made it back from my run when I went down stairs. I saw a note on my punching bag. I looked at it confused. I walked closer, taking the note off the bag. "Don't stop Believin' sugar booger. Are you kidding me? Sugar Booger?" I put the note on the wall.

I grabbed my wrap and wrapped my hands up. I struck the bag a couple times, practicing my left hook. My left side was the weaker of the two. I need to make it stronger. I focused on my left side today during my workouts. Shane and I were talking about that this morning. If I came in strong on my left side they'd never suspect it.

I walked upstairs and got into my shower, changing into some sweats and a plain shirt. I took my laundry down stairs and put it in the wash. Mom was gone again, so the house was quiet. I pulled out my textbooks and started on my homework. I finished the work and started on my English paper that was due just before I leave for Stanford.

I stopped typing for a minute. I looked through my desk until I found the early admissions papers. The latest postmark they would accept was in a week. If I sent them they'd send me a packet with my information. If I didn't I'd still go to Stanford, I'd just go in the fall. I stared at the papers in my hands and sighed. I put them back in the envelope and put the envelope in the desk. Maybe having a summer here wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

I ate my dinner and locked the door down stairs. I walked back upstairs and saw Troy standing in my room. "Hello Sugar Plum."

I let out a breath of relief. "Balcony?" I guessed. He nodded.

"I saw you locking up down stairs, so I thought I'd surprise you." He said with a smile on his face.

"Won't your parents wonder where you are?" I asked him. I turned on the TV. I pulled back the covers and crawled into bed.

He shook his head. "Nah, I told them I was going to bed." He jumped in bed with me. "And I am, just not in my bed."

I sighed. "You're going to make this a daily thing aren't you?" I asked, looking over at him.

Troy shook his head. "No. Sometimes I'll run with you. Sometimes I'll do my homework with you and sometimes I'll spend lunch with you." He said, wrapping his arms around me. "You'll need your daily dose of Troy."

I laughed. "Right, Can you turn off the light?"

"I just got in bed." He said.

"I'll call your mom." I threatened. He groaned and rolled out of m bed, turning the light off. He climbed on top of me, kissing my lips gently before rolling on the other side. He wrapped his arms around me again. "Don't you have something better to do than hangout with me?"

"No, not really." He said, moving my hair to the other shoulder. He rested his chin on my shoulder. "I like spending quality time with you."

"Because I'm leaving in May and you won't ever have to see me again?" I asked, looking at him.

Troy chuckled. "Do I really have to answer that Honey?"

I nodded, looking over at him. "Yes."

"I like being with you." He said, kissing my neck gently. "I like you."

"You're not so bad yourself." I said, leaning against him.

He grinned at me. "You like me."

"I didn't say that. I said you're not bad." I corrected.

He hugged me tighter. "You don't have to say it. I know you do."

"We're friends that had sex. We kiss sometimes." I said.

He frowned. "We're fuck buddies?"

"We run together, do homework together. You met both my parents." I listed.

"We're dating?" He was just as confused with us as I was. "We're in a relationship? We're talking?"

"I don't know Troy. We don't have to be SOMETHING. Can't we just be us?" I looked up at him. Troy sighed, putting his face in my neck. "We don't have to overcomplicate things."

Troy sucked in a deep breath and lifted his head up. "Alright."

I turned his chin toward me and I kissed his lips slowly. "It doesn't mean we can make it into something more when the right time comes." He nodded, giving me a half smile. "I wouldn't mind if you came up every night." I said quietly.

He grinned fully at me. "I like the sound of that." I cuddled against him, thinking about the day I just had. I smacked his chest, hard. "OW! What the hell was that for?" He asked.

"That was for stealing my underwear you pervert." I said, glaring at him.

Troy snickered quietly. "So worth it." I rolled my eyes and scooted down. I laid my head against his chest. I rubbed my leg against his crotch slowly. "Tease." He muttered under his breath.

I smiled to myself and stopped. I closed my eyes, relaxing against him. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Beautiful."

* * *

For the next couple of days, it felt like we were in a routine. Troy would sit by me in class, we'd eat lunch together, he'd come running and do homework with me. He even came up and slept with me, except Wednesday because he thought his mom was catching on.

Today was Friday and I had to leave early to catch a flight to Las Vegas. I had a note excusing me for the day in my pockets. I had to meet my mom at home by noon. I was already packed and ready to go. We were taking my car, leaving it at the airport for the weekend. I walked in first period. I didn't dress up like I normally did. I was just going to hop on the plane, check in at a hotel and go to the gym and meet with Shane.

I got to school early so I could turn in all my homework for my later classes that I was missing. I went to every class and was approaching my locker. Troy was standing at his, putting his books away. I walked up next to him, putting in my combination.

"Hey Pumpkin." Troy greeted. He forgot about his nickname thing for a while but remembered it last night when we were in my bed.

"Hey Pretty Boy." I said, smirking at him.

"We meeting up for lunch?" He asked, leaning against his locker.

I shook my head. "I'm leaving before lunch. I'm going to Vegas today."

He frowned. "Right, I forgot."

I put my things in my locker and I shut it. "I would take you with me but I don't think you want to share a room with me and my mom." I licked my lips. "Besides, I don't think your mom would let you come, especially after last time."

"What was wrong with last time?" He asked, crossing his arms.

"The fact that we drove all the way to Phoenix to stay there for 30 minutes then drive up to Flagstaff. I bet she thinks the whole thing was bullshit." I opened my purse and put some lipstick on. My eyes drifted over him. I looked at his neck. "Your hickey looks better. Did your parents notice it yet?" I ran my fingers down his neck and poked it gently. He didn't wince, that was good.

"No and she doesn't, Mom just wants me to be happy." Troy said, moving his hands to my hips. He pulled me closer to them. "My parents actually like you. My dad thinks your amazing because you're smart and you're an athlete. My mom is 'BFFs' with your mom." He rolled his eyes. "Or so she says."

I laughed quietly. "My mom says the same thing. My mom is like in love with you, or the idea that I actually have a friend. She knows you sneak into my room. She says you can use the front door."

He kept pulling me closer. He placed a soft, lingering kiss on my lips. "Well I'll just have to try that when you get back, won't I?"

* * *

**Hello my little cupcakefaces. Happy Thursday! It is Thursday right? Lol. It's so sad I only know what day it is because of Fan Fiction and TV Shows. (I've had a very productive week.) Monday is Teen Mom/Catfish (That show is crazy.) Tuesday is FF. Pretty little liars/Lying game/Snooki and Jwoww/Dance moms Wednesdays Nashville is on (But i record it so i usually watch it on thursdays) Thursday is ff... Buckwild (I have to check my DVR if Vampire Diaries came back on yet. Did they?) and Friday is nothing lol. I live the dream. This weekend i'm going to be away so i don't know if i'll upload tomorrow or wait till tuesday. If i don't see you until then, I love you guys and Don't forget to review.**


	9. Vegas

I had walked away from Troy just before the bell rang. Sharpay walked up to me before class started. "Okay, what the hell was that?" She asked me, crossing her arms.

"What was what?" I asked, shifting my books.

"You're wearing sweatpants! And You're kissing Troy Bolton!" She said in a shrill whisper.

I laughed at her. She was so… Sharpay. "I'm leaving for Vegas before lunch. And I didn't kiss Troy Bolton."

Her jaw dropped. I don't know if she was being dramatic or what? "I saw you! With my own two eyes! I have PERFECT vision Gabi." She said.

The bell rang just in time. "Well, I gotta get to class." I said with a crisp smile. I walked inside and felt a pat on my butt. I looked to see Troy behind me, His hand quickly slid in my pocket. I felt something in there but I didn't reach for it. I sat down at my desk and Troy, in the one behind me.

I felt Troy's hand move my hair to just one shoulder, putting his cold hand against my neck. I smacked his hand away. He leaned over. "My hands are cold." He whispered.

"I couldn't tell." I said sarcastically.

Sharpay let out a huge gasp. The classroom went quiet and all of our attention flew over to her. She was looking at me. She looked around. "What?" She asked.

Everybody quickly looked away. I didn't though. We made eye contact again. She pointed to me, then her lips then her neck then to Troy. I just looked at her confused. She was trying to mouth something but she was terrible at it. She sighed, frustrated.

I turned to face front as Mrs. Darbus walked in. I participated in discussion today about 'Catcher in the Rye'. It was actually interesting. There were so many conspiracy theories linking that book to assassinations and shootings and whatnot. I wasn't big on discussing things like that because it always led to politics in some way or another. Taylor McKessie, would always put her two cents in after every person spoke. She was the type of girl who knew she thought she knew everything. She unconsciously thought of all of us as subordinates; which is probably why she didn't look twice at Poodle.

It would be her loss though, he isn't that terrible. Darbus granted us free time. I was about to turn to look at Troy. When I heard my name being called. "Gabi!" Sharpay said loudly. "Come here!" She got up to pull me out of my seat and walk me over to hers. She was in the corner so it was more private. "I cannot believe you!"

"What did I do?" I looked at her.

She leaned over to me. "You gave Troy Bolton a hickey!" She whispered.

I glanced over at Troy. "Troy doesn't have a hickey."

Sharpay let out a frustrated groan. "How am I supposed to be your friend you don't share your secrets?!"

I laughed quietly. "You want to know a secret?"

She nodded. "Yes, I do." She sat on Chad's desk. He didn't seem to mind though. He was trying to get Taylor to talk to him.

"I have a birthmark on my butt. It's shaped like a pear." I said, looking at her.

She narrowed her eyes at me. "I don't believe you."

I stood up, glancing over at Darbus. She was trying to explain to Jason that 'The Catcher in the Rye' had nothing to do with bread. I turned my back to Sharpay and pulled down the side of my pants, showing her my butt cheek. "see?" I pulled my pants up and turned around.

"Nice Ass Montez." Troy said, smirking at me.

I ignored him. "Happy?"

Sharpay smiled and nodded. "Okay, time for a secret with me." She thought for a moment and leaned over to me. "I'm a virgin."

"Really?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. She nodded. I licked my lips. "Alright then."

"Your turn again." She said, looking at me.

"I'm not a virgin." I said, sitting on the desk.

"Ryan was my first kiss." She said quietly, looking at her sparkling gold heels.

I smirked. "Twincest. Hot."

She made a face at me. "Secrets are kept between us. That's how friendship works."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not stupid."

She sighed. "I know."

"Troy went to Phoenix with me last weekend." I said.

She perked up. "Oh my god! What'd you do there?"

"We went to visit my dad." I said, looking at her. "But I hate my dad so we left and drove up to the Grand Canyon. Your turn."

"I turned my first boyfriend gay." She said.

"You can't turn somebody gay. They were born that way." I said, crossing my legs.

She scoffed. "He just HAD to come out right after he broke up with me." She pulled her phone out of her pocket. "Daddy want to know where you're boxing. We're going to take the helicopter up to Vegas."

I raised my eyebrows at her. "You have a helicopter."

"Helicopter, private jet, country club, the works." She said nonchalantly.

I tapped Ryan's arm. "Yes?" He asked.

"You have a helicopter?" I asked in disbelief.

"It's our dads. He uses it all the time." Ryan said, looking at me.

I turned back to Sharpay. "Shit."

She sighed. "I know. My mom is related to the third in line for the throne in England. Daddy is related to one of the wealthiest people in the world. It's hard to make friends sometimes, people use you, ya know?"

I laughed. "I don't know. Troy is the closest thing I've had to a friend since the fourth grade." She looked at me confused. "I don't count boyfriends as friends. Once they cross over they're either a boyfriend or a friend."

The bell rang and she looked at me. "Text me the info, I'll come." She handed me her phone. I put her number in and she texted me. "Tootles." She waved at me and walked off.

Troy was waiting for me with my stuff. "Thank you." I said, putting my bag on my shoulder.

"No problem." He said, walking me to my next class. "I'll see you when you get back then." He said, scratching the back of my neck.

"You won't even miss me." I said as I hugged him. "I'll see you later."

"Later." He said quietly. I put my hand in my pocket as I walked into class. I pulled out a peice of paper. I unfolded it. 'Fight hard cuddle bear.' I laughed out loud, then covered my mouth quickly as I shoved the note back in my pocket.

* * *

Mom and I landed in Vegas and we got to our hotel at 4:00. I set my things down and got changed. I put my hair up and walked down to the gym that was in the hotel. I was so excited to see Shane again. We were going to have a hard workout today, talk strategy, maybe even have a little fight between me and him. Mom went off to do something and I opened the door to the gym. I saw Shane standing there, I ran over to him and jumped on him.

"Gabi!" He chuckled and tried to shake me off. I clung onto him.

"I missed you." I admitted, sighing. I let go of him and stood up. "How have you been?" I asked, when we started stretching.

"Same old, same old." He said, looking at me. "How are you?"

I smiled. "I'm surprisingly good."

He chuckled, "It's that boy isn't it?"

I shook my head. "He's just a friend, and I made a friend that's a girl. She might actually come down for the fight."

Shane looked surprised. "This is new. You with friends."

I laughed. "I know. It's definitely going to take some getting used to."

"Hop up on the treadmill, I'm going to time you." He pulled out his stop watch.

I sighed. "Alright." He turned it on and set the level. It started moving and I started running. By the time training was over it was nine and I was exhausted. I was ready to go to sleep. Shane walked me up to my room and I opened the door. He left and I took a quick shower. I got changed and I crawled into bed.

The next day I got up and ate some breakfast. I spent most of the day with Shane. My boxing match was tonight at 7. We had a pretty chill day. We watched videos of my opponent and old videos of me. We ate a quick meal before I started preparing for the match. I got my hands wrapped, I held my gloves and my mouth piece. I sat in my dressing room alone, Shane went to go see if my mom wanted to say something before I went up there.

I had my headphones in, I was staring at my gloves. I was trying to clear my mind and focus on the fight. I saw a pair of sneakers standing in front of me. I didn't even hear the door open. I looked up and saw Troy. I sighed. I pulled my headphones out of my ears. I took the mouth piece out of my mouth.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, looking at him.

"Your mom invited me and dad. Mom had chemo this weekend but my aunt was coming over to take care of her. She insisted we come. Sharpay is here too. Apparently she came in via helicopter." Troy said, looking confused. He shook his head. "Anyway, Dad and I wanted to see you in action."

I got up and wrapped my arms around him. He didn't say anything else. I closed my eyes leaning against him. I licked my lips. "You just made me more nervous, but I'm glad you came." I said, quietly.

Troy smiled at me and pecked my lips quickly. "Sharpay is going to be here any minute." He kissed my lips again, longer this time. We heard the thwacking of heels and he pulled away. "That would be her." He smiled at me.

She opened the door. "Surprise! Damn it Bolton! How did you beat me?" She pouted, crossing her arms. There was a man behind her. He cleared his throat. "Daddy, this is my BFF Gabi, Gabi this is daddy" She introduced.

Mr. Evans smiled. He had a genuine smile for being loaded. "Nice to meet you Gabi, Princess has been talking non stop about you since you moved here apparently."

I smiled at him. "Pleased to meet you Mr. Evans." I shook his hand and glanced at Troy.

"We should let her warm up and get to our seats princess. We'll see her after the match." Mr. Evans said walking out of the room.

Sharpay hugged me, well more like squeezed me quickly then walked away. "Tootles!" She followed her father out of the room.

"Tootles." Troy said smirking.

"Don't make fun of her, she's my BFF" I said, with a blank expression.

Troy chuckled, wrapping his arms around me again. "Your mom wanted me to wish you good luck, so good luck."

"Thanks." I said, rubbing my hands against my shorts. "You should get back to your dad."

He sighed, "You're right." Troy cupped my face and kissed my lips quickly. "Good luck Goober." I made a face at him. "Don't give me that face." He said, kissing me again. "I'll see you later."

"Bye." I said, pushing him away from me. He smiled at me as he walked out of the room. I shook my head, sitting back down. I closed my eyes, trying to forget that they were here, that people I knew were watching me.

Shane came to get me and I wrapped my towel around my neck. He put my gloves on and tied them snugly. He put my head protector on me. Since we were juniors we had to wear a head piece. We walked out of the room and made our way down the hall. The room we walked into it was pretty big. The ring taking up most of the room. The ring was surrounded by bleachers and chairs. I heard cheering, my opponent walked out first.

I looked at Shane who put his hand on my shoulder. "You can do this Gabi." He said, in my ear.

I nodded. When my name was called I took a deep breath and walked over to the ring. I heard cheering but I couldn't pick out any single voice. I climbed up in the ring and my gaze scanned the audience. I found Sharpay who was sitting at the end of a row, sitting next to her dad then Troy's dad, then Troy, then my mom. I took a double take at the man next to her. My father was here. She invited my father? I narrowed my eyes at him and felt the rage bubble up in me.

The announcer was still talking. I walked over to Shane who was standing in my corner. "Why the fuck is he here?" I whispered harshly. I opened my mouth so he put my mouth piece in.

"Who's here?" He asked, confused.

I glared at him. "You know who." I said. I pushed my shoulder blades together, letting my back crack. I turned and walked into the middle of the ring where they were waiting for me. I let out a deep breath as the ref started talking. My dark eyes met the girls' across from me. I felt my hands trembling in my gloves. I made a tight fist to get them to stop.

"We want a good clean fight. Are you ready? Go." He blew the whistle.

The girl and I danced around the ring once before she approached me. She swung and I ducked. I made a swift punch connecting to her ribs. I put my gloves up to protect my face. I cleared everything out of my head when I started landing punches. My left hook definitely took her by surprise. Once the round was over I went back into my corner.

"You're doing good." Shane said, taking the mouth piece out of my mouth. I looked at the audience again and just seeing my father pissed me off all over again. He saw the look in my eye. "Calm down killer, save it for the fight okay?"

I nodded. "This bitch is going down." He squirted some water in my mouth and put the mouth piece in my mouth. I looked at the audience and my father was nonchalantly talking to my mom. That fucking asshole. When the referee signaled we started boxing again.

I struck at her, hitting solidly at the side of her head. After three more punches like that the girl was fighting ended up on the ground. The referee pulled me off of her. I caught my breath as I let her get up. She looked tired, but I felt like I could run a marathon. My hands were still curled into fists. The referee signaled us again and I withheld my advances at her. She struck me once in the ribs. The round was over and I walked back into my corner.

Shane gave me more water. "Go for the left this time. She's tired. I think you can take her down quickly." He encouraged. "You were wailing on her Gabi. What's gotten into you?"

I licked my lips. "My father is here." That's all I had to say. He stuck the mouth piece in my mouth and I got up again. I rolled my shoulders and got ready for the fight again.

The girl walked up to me. She had a little cut on her eyebrow and blood dripping down her nose. I didn't want to hurt the poor girl but it's apart of boxing. My nose is permanently broken, it didn't even hurt anymore. The ref blew the whistle and I put my gloves up. She charged at me again and it hit her from the left side. It only took three solid punches and she was down. She wasn't moving. I looked at the ref who checked her. I looked at her. She was still breathing.

He held my arm up and ruled me winner by knock out. I walked back to my corner and climbed out of the ring. I pulled my gloves off and handed them to Shane who was trailing behind me. "I hate him." My voice was muffled by my mouth piece. I was looking over at Shane. "I don't know why he's here." I pulled my head protector off and handed it to him. "Can I get a better fight next time? Can I fight a boy? At least a boy puts up a fight." I said, after I pulled out my mouth guard. I shook it out and handed it to him. He put it in it's case.

"Gabi, relax." He said, from behind me. "All this anger isn't good for you. Don't over exert yourself." He put a hand on my back and I walked into my dressing room.

I took my towel and wiped my sweaty face off. I was ready for a shower, but I knew people were going to come back here to see me. I covered my head with the towel and rested my elbows on my knees. I took deep calming breaths. The door opened and closed. The room was quiet so Shane must've left. I heard the door open again.

"Great match, baby." Mom said.

I pulled the towel off my head and looked up at her. "Why did you invite him?" I asked, gripping the towel.

"I did it before you went to Phoenix. I had high hopes that you would get along. I completely forgot that I did. I didn't expect him to come after last weekend." Mom said, looking at me.

I blinked at her. "Mom I don't even want to talk to you right now."

"I just-" She started, but she stopped herself. I watched her open the door. "You shouldn't go-" I saw my father walk in. My jaw tightened. "-in there." She finished.

"Get out." I said, through clenched teeth.

"Will you please just talk to me?" He asked, looking at me.

"No. Get out." I repeated.

"You can't tell me what to do." My father said. I could tell he was getting irritated. I guess I got my temper from him. "We are going to sit here and talk Gabriella Isabel Montez."

I got up. "Then I'll leave." I walked past him and he grabbed my arm. I narrowed my eyes at him. "You really don't want to do this right now."

"I am your father and we are going to talk. Right now!" He raised his voice.

"No. You maybe my father but you gave up all rights to tell me what to do when you walked out on my mother. You can't just have me and not her. If it wasn't for her than I wouldn't even be alive. Just because she forgave you, doesn't mean I will. You walked out on me and my mother, you don't have the right to talk to me like this. You shouldn't have even came. I hate you." I said slowly. I emphasized the last sentence. I took a deep breath and calmed myself down. "Just leave. You did it easily thirteen years ago, you can easily do it now."

I walked over to the bathroom that was attached to the room. I walked in there and locked the door. I closed the toilet lid and sat on it. I put my hands on my head, leaning my elbows on my knees. I wasn't going to cry, he didn't deserve my tears. I rubbed my face and heard a soft knock on the bathroom door. "Gabi, It's me." It was Troy. "Can you open up?"

I got up and opened the door. He walked in the bathroom and I wrapped my arms around him. I closed my eyes, laying my head against his chest. "Is he gone?" I asked quietly.

"He left." Troy said, pulling away to look at me. "You okay babe?" I nodded my head. "You kicked the shit out of that girl." He said, I laughed quietly. I buried my face in his chest. "Seriously. Her head bounced when it hit the floor."

"I didn't want to hurt her." I mumbled into his sweater.

"I know." He said, rubbing my back. "Mr. Evans wants to take us out for dinner. Are you hungry?"

I shook my head. "No, but I'll go."

"Do you want to go back out there?" Troy asked, kissing the top of my head.

"Let's stay here a little longer." I said, wrapping my arms tighter around his waist. He wrapped his arms around me, hugging me closely.

* * *

**Just a little something to hold you over until Tuesday. I should be packing but i don't want to lol. Have a great weekend everybody. I love you guys.**

I have a surprise for you! A sneak peak at the first chapter of the sequel to Superstar! 'Fame and Love' I'm only on chapter three but i thought i'd give you guys a little something because i was feeling extra generous today. So here it is. A sneak peak at the first chapter of 'Fame and Love'

_"Gabi, you're on in five!" The stage manager yelled._

_I peeled my eyes off of the guitar I was holding. I took a deep breath. I could do this. This is no different than any other time. I followed the stage manager over to the center of the stage. The lights were dark but the crowd was cheering. The familiar music was starting and I strummed along. We always started off with a crowd favorite._

_My set flew by and we usually ended with bang but I wanted to change it up. They started the music to the usual ending. I didn't play along with them. "Wait, wait a minute." I said, I turned around to face Tim, Ray, and Kevin who were standing behind me. They stopped immediately and looked at me confused. "Coming home." I told them._

_They nodded and stated playing the song I told them to. I strummed along quietly._

_"It's a four letter word,_  
_A place to go heal your hurt..."_

**DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! )**


	10. Gone

We agreed to meet at the restaurant at the top of the Stratosphere hotel after I got showered and changed. Mom took me up to our room and I took a quick shower and blow dried my hair, leaving it in it's natural curls. My ribs were a little sore. They weren't broken, just a little bruised. I put on the only dress I brought along with some make up.

I didn't talk to my mom since we left. She didn't speak either. We just rode quietly over to the other hotel. We got to the top and walked into the restaurant. I was seated in between Troy and Sharpay. Mr. Evans was sitting at the end of the table and my father was sitting at the other end of the table. Shane, Mr. Bolton and My mom were sitting on the other side of the table.

Troy put his hand on mine, under the table. He squeezed it gently. I gave him a small smile, glad that he decided to sit in between My father and I. "I'm very impressed by you, Gabriella. That was the quickest boxing match I've ever seen." Mr. Evans said. "You pack quite a punch. What's your record?"

"13 wins, 1 loss and now 5 knock outs." Shane said. "That's just this season."

Troy squeezed my hand tighter. "Damn baby, five knock outs?" He whispered into my ear. I squeezed his hand back in response.

"Remarkable. I'd like to sponsor you" Mr. Evans said.

"Daddy!" Sharpay said, looking at him.

"Oh you don't have to Mr. Evans." My mom jumped in.

"Please, allow me to." Mr. Evans said, turning to me. "Think of it as a donation. If you need anything new then I'll be more than glad to help out."

I smiled at him. "That's very kind of you Mr. Evans. Thank you." I shot a look at my mom. She shot one right back at me.

"Impressed the hell out of me Gabi." Troy's dad said, smiling. "You should teach Troy some foot work. God knows he needs to be quicker on his feet."

I looked over at Troy, smirking at him. "Gladly."

Troy smirked back at me. "Some one on one time wouldn't hurt." He said in a low voice.

I squeezed his inner thigh. "So, I didn't think your boxing outfit would be cute and I was right." Sharpay piped in. "I could totally design one for you. Pink shorts! I can work wonders with my be dazzler."

"I'd like to see that." I said, looking over at Sharpay. "Thanks for coming by the way. It was nice actually having somebody else other than my mom in the stands."

Sharpay grinned at me happily. "We're going shopping next weekend right? We can get some fabric and talk to my personal costume designer Philippe. He can make anything I swear." Troy's hand landed in my lap. He was drawing small circles on my inner thigh. He was having a discussion with my dad.

I laughed. "Alright, we can do that."

She clapped her hands excitedly. "I'm so excited I'm going shopping with you!"

Sharpay wasn't so bad. She talked a lot, but she was just like me, a little lonely. She was forward and she had a hard time making friends. She was different and there was nothing wrong with that. We were in the middle of eating and I was watching my mom talk to my dad. I leaned over. "Do you want to know another secret?" I asked her quietly. She looked kind of confused but nodded. "I still hate my dad."

"That wasn't a secret. If looks could kill, your dad would be at the bottom of the ocean, eaten by a shark after being poisoned, stabbed and shot multiple times." She said, looking at me. "Why?"

"That is a story for later." I said. Troy's hand was drifting further up my leg, practically in my dress. Good thing I had a napkin on my lap. I looked over at Sharpay. "Bathroom?" She nodded, picking up her purse. "Excuse us." I said to the table.

Troy pulled his hand back before I got up from the table. I ran my hand down the back of his hair. I fixed my dress and Sharpay and I walked over to the bathroom. I walked into the stall and Shar walked into the one next to me. "I have the biggest crush on Zeke Baylor." She said sighing.

"Who?" I asked.

"Zeke Baylor. He was on the basketball team. I'll show him to you when were at school." She said. I walked out of the stall and washed my hands. She came out shortly after me. "He knows me as the 'Ice Queen' He'll never like a girl like me."

"There's nothing wrong with you." I said, drying my hands. She dried her hands and pulled out her lip gloss. She applied some and offered me some. I shook my head. "I've only had sex with two guys."

She popped her lips. "I threw up in Chad Danforth's closet when I was drunk. He was pissed."

I laughed. "Seriously?" She nodded. "I shit my pants when I was 12."

"Ryan and I are adopted." She said. My head whipped over to her. I looked at her in disbelief. "I'm not joking."

"Really?" I asked, looking at her.

"They adopted us when we were eight. Our mom and dad met three years before. She was in a relationship then they got married quick. It's weird but I don't really ask questions." She said, looking at me.

"We should be getting back." I said, putting my hand on her back. She agreed and we walked back to the table.

"Everything alright?" Troy asked, looking at me.

I nodded. "Yeah, we were just talking." I scooted my chair in and put my napkin on my lap. I was already finished eating. I wasn't that hungry in the first place. Troy placed his hand on my thigh again. I took a sip of my water.

Sharpay was talking to her dad. Shane and Jack were in a serious discussion about basketball and my mom and father were talking. Troy leaned over to me. "We're two rooms away from you." He said in my ear.

"You and your dad sharing a room?" I asked, looking at him.

He nodded. "Mom gave him some gambling money, she said being back some cash." We laughed quietly.

"How is she?" I asked.

"She's good, right now." He said looking at me. "But I don't want to talk about my mom." He smirked at me.

"What do you want to talk about then?" I asked.

Troy scooted closer to me, putting his lips on my ear. "How sexy you look in that dress." I smirked at him, his fingers brushed my panties. "Mmm, lace. Very wet lace." He husked.

I licked my lips. "Can you stop? Were in public." I said breathlessly. He nodded and sat up straight. He rubbed my panties again slowly. I dropped my hand and dug my nails into his arm. He put his hand back in his lap.

Mr. Evans picked up the check and we got up. Troy walked off but we gathered outside of the restaurant. I shook Mr. Evans hand. "It was so nice to meet you Gabriella."

"You too Mr. Evans." I smiled up at him. I hugged Sharpay. "Thank you for coming again."

"No problem. I'll see you on Monday" She said, smiling brightly.

"See you." I waggled my fingers and walked over to Shane. "Hey." I breathed out.

"You should be getting to bed early. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." He said, pulling me into a hug.

"I can't wait." I said sarcastically. I spotted Troy out of the corner of my eye.

"I'm going to hit the hay." Shane said. "Great job tonight."

"Thanks." I smiled up at him. I walked over to Troy. "Text me when your dad leaves." I said, kissing his cheek.

"Will do." He said, hugging me. We pulled away. "See you."

I smiled at him and made my way over to his dad. "Thank you for coming Jack."

"Thanks for knocking that girl out. Great fight." He commented. "I can see why you are a champion."

I laughed. "I hope you both can come to more, maybe Lucy too." He smiled and nodded.

"I'll probably see you later." He said, giving me a hug. I hugged him back tightly. That's how a real father should be.

"Bye Mr. Bolton."

He rolled his eyes at me. "Jack." He corrected. I smiled.

I walked over to mom. "I'm ready." I interrupted my parents conversation. "You know what? I'll just share a cab with the Bolton's" I said.

"Your father and I are going to go out for a drink." Mom said. I gave her a look. She didn't look affected by it. "I'll see you later."

"Okay." I said. "Bye." I walked away from them, not acknowledging my father. "Hey, can I hitch a ride back to the hotel with you?" I asked Jack and Troy.

Jack grinned. "No problem." He put his arm around my shoulder and Troy's arm wrapped around my waist. "So tell me how you got such a strong left hook. You surprised the shit out of that girl."

"My left side is my weak side. I had to take her by surprise." I said as we walked over to the elevator.

The elevator closed. Jack looked from Troy to me. "So what's going on between you two?"

"We're friends." I said, looking over at Troy. His cheeks were a little red. "Troy has a big crush on me though."

Troy laughed. "Gabi's in love with me."

Jack chuckled at us, shaking his head. "You two are good together."

"She wants the D." Troy joked.

I smacked his chest. "Troy wants to get knocked out." I said, crossing my arms.

"You just watched her knock a girl out in the third round. I don't think you want to fuck with her, son." Jack said, shaking his head. Troy held my hand as we walked out of the elevator and caught a cab. Once we got back to the hotel. "Troy make sure Gabi gets back to her room okay. I'm going to go try to win some money. Be good. I'll be back by two." He walked into the casino.

Troy led me over to the elevators. He wrapped his arms around me when the doors closed. "We have four hours. What do you want to do?" He asked.

"We can watch a movie." I leaned against him.

"What movie do you want to watch?" He asked, kissing the back of my neck.

"We can see what's on." I offered. The elevator opened and we walked over to Troy's room. He opened the door and I closed the door behind us.

Troy was standing by a door. "This is my room."

I walked over to him and walked into his room. I kicked my shoes off and turned on the TV. I laid on my stomach on his bed. I flipped through the channels and found a movie. I looked over at Troy who was taking off his pants. He grabbed a pair of shorts and pulled them on, walking over to me. He crawled on the bed next to me and kissed my lips gently.

I licked my lips. "I don't know why you put those on. You know you're just going to take them off." I said, rubbing his chest slowly. I sat up and lifted my hair up. "Can you unzip me?"

He sat up and unzipped my dress slowly. I rolled off the bed and let the dress fall to the ground. I got back on the bed and laid next to him. "You never match." He said, running his finger along my plain black bra.

I shrugged. "What's the point?"

"I was just saying." He said, running his hand down my body slowly.

I pulled his face over to mine, kissing his lips gently. I flicked my tongue in his mouth slowly, massaging his tongue with my own. He cupped my ass, pulling me closer to him. I rolled on top of him, straddling his leg. I rubbed my knee against the crotch of his shorts. He took off my bra and I pressed my chest against his.

Troy's erection was pressed up against my leg. I dropped my hand from his chest and rubbed him outside of his shorts. He was so hard already. I pulled away from Troy's lips and helped his pull his shorts off. Just the thought of Troy laying here in his Calvin Klein boxers made my mouth go dry. Actually seeing him like this, I swore I was dripping. I squeezed his penis outside of his boxers before slipping my hand in them. I stroked him once before I laid back on the bed. I lifted my hips up and pulled the wet lace down my legs and threw them on the floor.

"I have condoms in my bag." He said, pulling me against him. He kissed my lips firmly.

I pulled away, licking my lips. "Go get them then." I said, rolling off him. I laid on my stomach and watched him over my shoulder. He dug through his bag and pulled out the condoms. I got on my knees, spreading my legs apart.

"Oh fuck." Troy muttered. I looked back at him. He pulled down his boxers, stroking himself slowly. I ran my hand down my body. I stroked myself slowly, spreading my opening for him. I heard a moan from behind me. I watched him for a minute, biting my lip.

I got off the bed and walked over to him. He looked at me and I kissed his lips firmly. I put my wet finger in his mouth. He happily sucked the juices off my finger, his tongue brushing along all the nerves in my finger. I let out a small moan. I ran my fingertips down his body slowly. I gripped his penis, stroking slowly. I led him over to the bed, he fell back against it.

I took the condoms from his hand and put them on the table next to us. He scooted himself up more on the bed and I left a trail of open mouth kissed on his body. I cupped his balls, massaging them slowly while I stroked him. I ran my tongue against his balls, taking one in my mouth, sucking lightly. "Shit." Troy mumbled.

I wrapped my tongue around him the best that I could. I ran my tongue up his shaft slowly. My mouth encompassed his sensitive tip. His hips jerked and curse words tumbled out of his mouth. I fit about half of him into my mouth before pulling him back out. I squeezed him gently, stroking him quicker. I put him back in my mouth and bobbed while I stroked.

His breathing got shallower and I stroked him slowly. "You're not coming in my mouth, sorry." I laughed a little. "That's gross."

"I don't even care." He said looking at me. He pulled me down and I kissed his lips firmly.

I squeezed his tip stroking quickly. I sat on his legs watching him. "Is this how you do it?" I licked my lips.

He shook his head. "This is so much better. Fuck." He let out a groan and released on his stomach.

I leaned down and licked the tip of his penis. There was a drop of cum still on there. The taste was too much for me. I made a face at Troy. "Sorry I can't, I tried, I can't" I got off him.

Troy chuckled at me. "It's fine. I'm going to go, wash this off." He got up and I laid on the bed. He came back with a damp chest and a half flaccid penis. He crawled into bed with me. He kissed behind my ear. "How many times do you think I can make you come in four hours?"

"One if I fake it." I joked.

He glared at me. "You're lucky your naked." He pinned me down and kissed my lips firmly. His lips found my neck, he sucked firmly. He ground his hips against mine. I licked my lips and reached over for a condom. I handed it to him and he rolled it on. I let out a sigh when he pushed it in slowly.

* * *

Three condoms later, Troy was passed out next to me. I looked at the time. I really didn't feel like getting up. I felt my eyelids drooping. I looked at the time. It was after two and jack wasn't back yet. I leaned over and kissed Troy's cheek. "Troy, wake up."

My thighs were burning. I rolled off the bed and put my panties back on. Troy grumbled from the bed. "Hm?" He asked. I put my bra on.

"I have to get back to my room." I said, walking over to the bathroom. I threw my hair up in a bun. It was going to be a bitch to brush. There was a dark hickey on my collar bone. I sighed. I was going to have to steal one of his sweaters. I came back out and put my dress on. "Zip me."

He zipped me up and kissed the back of my neck. He laid his head on my back. "I'm tired."

"Me too." I said, turning around. I kissed his lips firmly. I put my heels on and looked around. "Do you have a sweater?"

He nodded and handed me his letterman's jacket. He pulled on a sweatshirt and kissed me again. "Let me walk you over."

"You don't have to." I said, rubbing his arm.

"Shut up." He said, walking over to the window. He opened it to air it out. We walked out of the room and Troy opened the door and his father was standing on the other side. "We watched a movie and fell asleep. I'm walking her over." Troy said, his eyes half open.

I nodded. "I'll see you later Jack." We walked past him and over to my room. Troy followed me and I opened the door with my key. I stood with my foot in the door. "I'll see you on Monday, goodnight." I kissed his lips gently.

"Goodnight baby." He kissed my lips then my forehead lazily. I watched him walk away and I pulled his coat around me tighter. I watched him back to his door and I walked in. I closed the door and locked it. All the lights were off. I walked over to my room and climbed into bed. I curled up in his jacket, it wasn't like having Troy there but it was as close as I was going to get.

I heard a click from the hotel room door. I heard a giggle. I sat up quickly in bed. I tore off Troy's jacket and took off my dress. I pulled on some sweat pants and a hoodie. I walked over to the door and pressed my ear up against it. "Shush Robert, Gabi is sleeping."

I opened my door to see my parents on the couch. Her legs on his lap, both holding a glass of wine. I crossed my arms. "What are you doing?" I asked.

They both jumped. "Gabi, I thought you were sleeping."

"I'm a light sleeper. What are you doing here?" I asked my father.

"Your mom and I went out for drinks." He said, looking at me.

"That doesn't explain why you're in our hotel room." I looked from my mom to my dad. "Nothing to say?"

My father sighed. "Gabriella, we were just talking."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm sure you were 'just talking' to that 22 year old whore that you left us for."

"Gabriella!" My mom scolded.

"No! I'm tired of seeing his face. He deserves everything he gets, if he doesn't leave then I will." I said, looking at them. "And I won't come back this time."

"Gabriella, I'm not going anywhere." My father said.

I nodded and looked at my mother. She didn't do anything. "Fine." I turned around and walked back into my room. I collected all of my things, stuffing them into my suitcase. I took Troy's jacket and pulled it on. I picked up my bag and walked out of my room. "Goodbye." I opened the door and walked out.

* * *

**Hello My little cupcake faces. I am back! i wasn't gone that long but i thought i'd make a dramatic entrance. Lol. Anyway. Where do you think Gabi is going to go? Let me know in the review. If somebody get's it right i'll send them the WHOLE first Chapter of Fame and Love. GO GO GO GO! Don't forget to review!**


	11. Love

Vegas never did sleep. I went to the ATM and got some cash out of my account. Everything I made from boxing got put into my bank account, it was a job after all. I hopped in a cab that took me to the airport. I got on a red eye to Albuquerque. Once I got there I hopped into my car and drove home.

By the time I was actually home it was six in the morning. I called Shane and left him a message telling him why I wouldn't be at training. My mom called me multiple times but I didn't answer. For the first time she was the one that was hurting me and not helping me. Troy's flight was leaving in this morning so I decided to call him.

"Hello?" He answered, sounding tired.

"Hey." I said quietly. "I left."

"What do you mean you left?" He asked, sounding more awake.

"Fucking mom brought that asshole into our room. So I told her, he could leave or I could leave and when he wouldn't leave I left." I said, laying on my bed. "She knows how I feel about him and she didn't say anything, so I left. I'm back in Albuquerque."

"Why didn't you come to my room?" He asked.

I sighed. "I couldn't have just barged into your room. I'll see you when you get home. Mom and my father can go play patty cake in Vegas all they want."

He sighed. "Alright, I have to pack up my stuff. I'll talk to you later." He said before we hung up.

I rubbed my fingers against my forehead. I needed a shower, badly. I got undressed and walked into the bathroom. I brushed my tangled mess of my hair before I got into the shower. Once I got out I got changed into normal clothes. I pulled on Troy's Letterman and I grabbed my phone.

I walked out of my door and over to Troy's house. I knocked on the door and Lucille answered the door. She looked at me a little confused. "Gabi? What are you doing here?"

"I got into a fight with my mom in Vegas so I came back a little early. I know Troy and Jack are coming home soon and I was wondering if I could wait for them here." I licked my lips. "If that's okay with you."

"Of course sweetheart, come on in." She opened the door a little wider.

I walked into the door and she shut the door behind her. "How are you feeling?"

"A little sick but I'm okay." She gave me a weak smile. "I'm exhausted but that comes with the chemo."

"Troy told me it was cervical cancer?" We took a seat on the couch.

She looked uneasy. "I told him it was the cervix because I didn't want him to worry. I actually have breast cancer." I looked over at her, her eyes were watering up. "They caught it early but it's still serious. I don't want him to worry about me." She wiped under her eyes. "I want him to go have fun and be a kid."

I wrapped my arms around her tightly. "I'm so sorry Lucille. If you need anything I'm more than willing to help. I think you should tell him though. He would want to know from you." I said quietly.

"How do I tell him?" She asked as I pulled back. We leaned against the couch.

"I don't know. But I'll be here for you and for him." I rubbed her arm.

"Thank you sweetheart. He needs somebody like you in his life. Honest, hardworking, beautiful. He really likes you." Lucy said with a smile.

"I need someone like him in my life too. He's a great guy." I said with a small smile.

She nodded. "He's a good boy. I'm so proud of him." We sat there quietly for a minute. "Would you like anything to drink or eat? You must be exhausted."

"I am but I guess it's my fault for being so difficult." I looked over at her. "Do you heave any tea?"

"Tea sounds nice." She said going to get off the couch.

I smiled. "Can I? I think I'll fall asleep if I stay on the couch." She nodded.

"Help yourself to anything." She said relaxing against the couch.

I walked in the kitchen and looked through a couple cabinets until I found a tea pot. I filled it with some water and set it on the stove. I found two cups and placed the tea bags in them, pushing them off to the side. I looked through the Bolton's cabinets finding ingredients. I preheated the oven and started measuring the ingredients into the bowl. I stirred in the wet ingredients and added some chocolate chips to the batter. I found a sheet and lined it. I scooped the cookie dough onto the sheet.

I stopped for a moment when the kettle started whistling. I poured some water in each of the cups and turned off the stove. I let the tea brew for a minute. I finished the two dozen cookies and popped them into the oven. I put the dishes in the sink and walked out to Lucille. She was watching TV on the couch. I brought over her tea. "Here you go. Do you add anything to it?" I asked her.

She sat up, setting her feet on the floor. "No, thank you." She dipped the tea bag into the cup stirring it. She took a quick sip. "Thank you Gabi."

"No problem Lucy." I sat next to her and took a sip of my tea.

"You look cute in his jacket." She said smiling at me.

I looked down and smiled. "He loaned it to me yesterday. I wore it so I wouldn't forget it."

"Right." She said with a sly smile.

"I'll be right back." I walked back into the kitchen and checked on the cookies. I opened her dishwasher. I dried the clean dishes that were in there and put them away. I rinsed off the dishes in the sink and put them in the dishwasher. I put a little pouch in the detergent slot and closed the door. I turned it on.

By the time I was done the cookies were done. I pulled them out and put them on a rack to cool them off. I threw away the paper and put the sheets away. The whole house smelled like cookies. It was an amazing smell, even for nine in the morning. I walked back into the living room.

"You made cookies?" Lucy asked, as I sat down.

I nodded. "Chocolate Chip. I hope you don't mind."

She shook her head. "I don't mind at all. The house hasn't smelled this good is a while. Us Bolton's love a good chocolate chip cookie."

I laughed quietly. "You'll love mine then." I took a sip of my tea. It was the perfect temperature.

"I called your mom to let her know you were here. She was worried about you." Lucy said, looking at me.

I nodded. "That's fine."

She watched me take another sip. "Do you want to tell me what's going on?"

"Well after dinner last night I hung out with Troy. Jack went to the casino and my mom and my father went out for drinks." I said slowly. "We fell asleep and I got back to my room around three something. I was about to fall asleep when I heard them come in. So I went to see what was going on. They were all cuddled up on the couch like nothing was wrong. I told my mom he can leave or I can leave. When he didn't leave, I left."

"Ah." She said nodding.

I licked my lips. "I don't want him to be apart of my life and I don't want to be apart of his life. My mom doesn't understand that." I played with the bag of tea floating in the water. "Now I'm here."

"You're welcome here anytime Gabi." Lucy said looking at me. "I know you have a tight schedule but if you ever just want to talk, I'll be here."

"Thank you." I said quietly. "Do you want a cookie?"

She bit her lip, thinking. "Just one." I took her cup and mine. I put them into the sink. I grabbed a plate and put a couple cookies on it. I brought it back to the living room and set it down. "Gabi, they look delicious." I smiled at her and picked one up. I took a bite and watched her take one. I looked at the TV. "Shit, that's good." She said.

I laughed quietly. "I'm glad." I took another bite, smiling at me.

"God! They're warm." She sighed, taking another bite. I finished the cookie and ate the other one that was on the plate. I found myself dozing off. I sat up and looked at Lucy. "You can go sleep in Troy's room."

I blinked my eyes. "I think I'll go do that. Do you need anything?"

"I'm okay, go lay down honey." I stood up and covered her in the blanket, smiling lightly. I walked up to Troy's room and crawled in his bed. It only took me minutes to fall asleep.

* * *

"What do you mean there is a surprise- Gabi?" I heard Troy say. I was a light sleeper. I groaned in response and turned over. I felt myself fade back into sleep until somebody climbed into bed with me. "Do you want to take your jacket off babe?"

I groaned again. I felt him try to take the jacket off me. "Troy it's fine." I grumbled. I rolled over and wrapped my arms around his waist. "I want you to lay with me." I said quietly, cuddling up to him.

"You cant be comfortable in that-"

I covered his mouth with my hand. "Shut up." I pulled the blankets up to my neck and cuddled against him.

"Goodnight." He said quietly kissing my forehead. I hummed in response.

When I woke up again I looked at the clock. It was only one. I stretched my back out. Troy was gone. I yawned and got up. I saw my phone on the side table. I flipped through it. There were a couple messages from my mom but I didn't answer them. I put it back and walked out of Troy's room. I walked down stairs.

"Good morning Goldilocks." Troy said, noticing me. I looked at him confused. "Have a nice nap?"

"Somebody kept waking me up." I said, looking at him.

He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

"There she is!" Jack said walking into the room. "These cookies are the shit. I just ate about half of them."

I laughed. "I'm glad you like them Jack."

"You have to come by and make some more." He said, sitting down on the couch.

I looked over at Troy. "Where's your mom?"

"Upstairs sleeping. She was sleeping on the couch when we got home." He said, rubbing my arm.

I nodded. "Your mom is sweet."

He smiled at me. "You were bonding with my mom?" I nodded. "You do like me."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm too tired to deal with this right now." I walked up the stairs and I heard Troy following me.

"You know I was just joking baby." Troy kissed my neck gently.

"I know." I said pushing him away from me. "But, I am literally too tired for this."

"Come on, we can watch a movie." He picked my up and carried me into his room. He closed the door behind him and set me down. He turned on his TV and climbed into bed with me. I leaned up and kissed his lips gently. He held onto my face and kissed my lips slowly. I leaned against him lacing my fingers in between his.

After we watched a movie and took another little nap Troy and I walked down stairs. "Do you want to stay for dinner Gabi?" Lucy asked, looking over at Troy and I.

"Yeah, okay." I said, looking over at Troy. "I'll stay for dinner."

"Jack's cooking tonight." Lucy said smiling. "Don't worry, he's pretty good."

I laughed. "I wasn't."

"Mom! Do you want to see Gabi's KO?" Troy said, excitedly.

"You don't have to watch it." I said.

"I'd love to." She said, looking over at Troy.

Troy grabbed a laptop and sat on the couch next to his mom. I sat on the other side of Troy. He searched the internet for the video and found it quickly. The whole fight was on Shane's company's website and the company that ran all the tournaments. "Gabi seriously fucked that girl up." Troy said, pressing play.

We watched the opponent walk out then I walked out. I just looked pissed off the whole time. I guess I'm not that great at hiding my emotions. We watched the first round. "That wasn't that bad." Lucy said.

"The first round was pretty even." I said.

We watched the second round and the third round was about to start. "That poor girl was bleeding all over the place." Lucy said.

"They wipe the blood off the ring in between rounds." I explained. "I've gotten the shit kicked out of me many times."

"Look this is the best part." Troy chimed in. I looked at the screen. I swung hard, making solid contact with the side of her head. She fell to the ground, her head bouncing off the floor like Troy said. I winced. "That is one solid hit."

Lucy looked over at me. "Wow Gabi, I didn't know you had that in you."

I shrugged. "Certain people bring out the worst in me."

"Don't get on her bad side Troy." Lucy said, looking at her son.

Troy chuckled. "She likes me too much." I rolled my eyes.

"He wishes." I said, giving Lucille a small smile.

"I do." Troy said, closing the laptop. He got up and put the computer back.

"I'm going to go see if Jack needs any help in the kitchen." I said, looking over at Lucy.

"I'll go too." Troy said getting up.

I pushed him back down. "It's alright, I got it." I walked into the kitchen. "Need any help?" I asked, looking over at Jack who was mixing something in a bowl.

"Yeah, can you get the chicken out of the fridge?" He asked.

I walked over to the refrigerator and took out the chicken. I set it on the counter. "What are you making?"

"Baked chicken breast, some vegetables and rice from a box." He said chuckling.

"Sounds delicious." I said, smiling at him. I opened the package of chicken breasts and washed my hands quickly.

"Where's Troy?" He asked, glancing over at me.

"Hopefully talking to his mom." I said, looking over at him.

He put the chicken into the marinade he made. "I'm guessing she told you." I nodded quietly. "He's going to be heart broken, but it's the right thing to do… incase something happens."

"How are you taking it?" I asked.

Jack sighed, looking at the bowl full of raw chicken. "Taking it one day at a time."

We heard a door slam upstairs. "I'm just…" I trailed off walking into the living room. Lucille was sitting with her head in her hands. I suddenly felt really uncomfortable. I quietly walked upstairs, I opened Troy's door and closed it behind me. He was looking out his window, his back to me.

I wrapped my arms around him from behind, laying my head against his back. He tensed for a second then he relaxed and let out a quiet sigh. "Hey." He whispered. He put his hands on mine. We stood there for a moment in silence. "Did you know?"

I licked my lips. "She told me before you got home." I said quietly. He just nodded his head. "I'll tell you what I told her. I'll be here for both of you, no matter what."

"You're leaving in May." He said quietly.

"I missed the deadline. I'm leaving in August, like everybody else." I admitted. He turned to face me. He just looked at me. "Believe it or not I need you, probably more than you need me."

Troy shook his head, looking away from me. I let go of him, licking my lips nervously. I took a seat on his bed. I buttoned up his jacket. I glanced up at him, he was watching me. He turned and walked out of the room. I laid back on his bed and rubbed my forehead, cursing myself. He walked back into the room, handing me an envelope. "Here."

I looked at him confused. I opened the envelope and pulled out a paper. _"Dear Troy Bolton, Thank you for accepting to further your education here at… University of California- Berkeley. We are looking forward to seeing you excel in our Academic and Basketball programs."_ I stopped reading the paper out loud and looked up at him. "You're going to California?"

He nodded his head. "I was going to tell you tomorrow, but since you're already here…" He scratched the back of his head and looked at me. I folded up the letter putting it back into the envelope. I got up and put the letter on the dresser. There was a pamphlet from our trip to Arizona sitting under one of his basketball trophies. I turned around and looked up at him. I furrowed my eyebrows, thinking. "What?" He asked quietly.

I licked my lips studying his face. Everything was about to change. I mentally prepared myself for his reaction… positive or negative. I let out a breath. I let out a small laugh. This was ridiculous. It had only been two weeks. He just looked even more confused. "I think…" I trailed off.

"You think what?" He asked, sliding his hands in his back pockets.

"I think I'm in love with you." I said quietly. My eyebrows still furrowed.

His face relaxed, looking at me. He sat back on his bed, making the springs squeak slightly. I don't think he was prepared for that to come out of my mouth. After a minute or so, He still hadn't said anything. I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. Oh god, how could I be so stupid? I did it again. I had to start this with him, and oh god. I took a step back running into the dresser, rattling it's contents. I grabbed the trophy before it could fall. I put it back on his dresser and walked out of Troy's room quickly.

"Oh shit, no. Gabi." I heard Troy call after me.

I walked down the stairs quickly. I grabbed my keys from the coffee table in the living room. "Gabi, are you okay?" Lucy asked. "Dinner's almost ready."

I shut my eyes tightly facing away from her. "Yeah, I just.. I forgot something…" I trailed off as I walked towards the door. I opened the door and walked out, shutting the door behind me. I pulled off Troy's Jacket, setting it on the railing. I walked slowly back to my house.

I rubbed my forehead. How could I be so stupid? I got up to my door and pulled out my keys. I flipped through each key until I found the right one. "Gabi, wait." I turned around and Troy ran up to me. "Wait." He cupped my face and kissed my lips firmly.

I pushed him away from me and slapped him across the face. "No. You don't get to kiss me anymore." I turned back to my door and unlocked the door.

"Baby." He said quietly. I shut my eyes. He turned me around and I leaned against my door. "You are the most beautiful girl in the world. You have been the only girl I've thought about since I first ran into you. If you think that for one moment I don't feel the same way that you do about me then you are sadly mistaken. You scare the shit out of me, but I love you." He said it quietly. "I love you."

I stared at him for a second, studying his eyes. They never left mine. I, then, grabbed his neck pulling him against me. I kissed his lips firmly. I pulled away from him and kissed his cheek gently. "I'm sorry I slapped you."

Troy gave me a weak smile. "I deserved it."

I kissed his cheek again gently. "I'm still sorry."

* * *

**Hello all of my internet friends. Today has been quite a day already. It's rainy and ugly here and i had to walk home in it, but on the up side today is my friday! I don't have school tomorrow so yay! I'd like to congratulate StephanieAlice for guessing correctly. I set her a mess of PMs (Which i'm still sorry for hun.) I might have another one of those. I need to think it through first. lol. I was reading through some stories on here and i reviewed some of them and i seriously leave the stupidest reviews. Why do i have to be so weird? lol. It's a blessing and a curse. I don't know how many chapters i have left. I still haven't even finished writing this which is delaying my writing of 'Fame and Love' and i apologize... i'll get it out eventually. I love you guys! Don't forget to review!**


	12. Internet

"I told your mom I had to get something, do you think they'll care if I sleep over?" I looked over at him. We were sitting on my front step. "My mom isn't coming back till late."

"You better take your school stuff then." Troy said, looking over at me.

I licked my lips. "Okay, I'll be right back." I took my keys out of the door and walked inside. I packed some clothes for tomorrow and I grabbed my school stuff. I grabbed my purse and walked out the door. I locked it. We walked over to my car and I put my school stuff in there.

We walked back to his house and I put my stuff up stairs. He followed me and hung his jacket up. "I'm going to go ask my mom."

"Alright." I laid on his bed, closing my eyes.

Troy came back in and laid on top of me. "Mom said you can stay. Dinner is almost done."

"Okay." I said, pushing him off me.

"Are we still us or are we going to get a label?" He raised his eyebrows.

I sat up, leaning against my arms. "What do you want?"

"I want you to be my girlfriend but if you aren't comfortable with that then it's alright." Troy said, looking at me.

I let out a sigh, licking my lips. "Okay."

"Okay what?" He asked, resting his chin on my thigh.

"I'll be your girlfriend." I said, looking over at him.

The grin on his face was priceless. He sat up and kissed my lips gently. "I love you." He mumbled against my lips.

"I love you too." I said quietly. "We should go help your parents." He nodded and pressed his lips against mine again. He rubbed my thigh slowly. He kissed down to my neck. "I meant like now." I said, laughing quietly.

"Why?" He mumbled against my neck.

"Because I said so." I moved out of his grip. "Come on. We can kiss later." I got up and walked out of the room. Troy caught up with me, lacing his fingers in between mine.

"Just in time." Jack said as we entered the kitchen. "Dinner's ready."

We all sat down at the table. "Did Troy tell you the news?" Jack asked me.

"About Berkeley? Yeah." I nodded. "I'm glad he's going to be close."

"Me too." Troy said, putting his hand on mine. "We are a couple now." Troy announced, looking from his mom to his dad.

Lucy raised an eyebrow at us. "When did this happen?"

"About two minutes ago." Troy said, looking at me.

I laughed quietly, putting a chicken breast on my plate along with some rice. "He talked me into it." I said, looking at Troy.

He rolled his eyes. "She loooooves me." Troy teased.

Jack and Lucy chuckled at us. "Young love." Lucy said, looking at her husband. "Remember when we were like that?"

"You still are like this." Troy said, looking at them. "I don't know how I don't have ten siblings"

"Troy!" I smacked his chest.

"Ow." He rubbed his chest.

Jack looked closely at Troy. "What happened to your face son?"

"What?" Lucy said concerned. Jack turned Troy's face.

"What's wrong with me?" He asked, turning to me, showing me his face.

I laughed then covered my mouth. "You have a bruise on your face. It's small but noticeable."

"How'd you get a bruise?" Jack asked.

"I slapped him." I admitted, looking at Troy's face again. "I'm so sorry." I touched it lightly. "Does it hurt?"

"Nope." He said. "It's fine." Troy looked at me.

"Shit, what did he do?" Jack asked.

"I was being an ass." Troy said. "I deserved it."

Lucy looked from me to Troy. "Should I be worried about this?"

Troy chuckled. "No mom, we're fine."

* * *

Once we were done eating Troy and I went upstairs to watch a movie. I ended up on top of Troy as we made out instead of watching the movie. I moved my hands under his shirt, pulling it up slowly. He pulled away from me.

"What?" I asked, looking at him.

He shook his head. "Not tonight… when my parents are here."

I nodded, rolling off him. I wrapped my arms around him, kissing his chest. "Alright, I'm tired anyway."

Lucy came into the doorway and knocked on the door. "Gabi, I called your mom. She said she's home and she'll see you tomorrow."

"Thanks Lucy." I said, looking over at her.

She took a step back. "And I told her that you were finally together. She's very happy for you both."

"Mom!" Troy whined.

"What? I couldn't keep it to myself." Lucy grinned.

I laughed quietly, rubbing Troy's stomach. "It's fine." I said, resting my head against his arm.

"Goodnight." Lucy said, closing Troy's door.

"Night." Troy and I called back to her.

He moved his arm from behind my head. He scooted down to face me. He kissed my lips gently. "How did I manage to get a beautiful girl like you?"

"You have a big dick." I joked, smirking at him.

He touched just above my lip. "You never put your piercing back in, is it going to close?"

"It'll take months to close completely." I said, looking at him. "I can take it out. Does it look weird without it?"

"A little because I'm used to it." He said, kissing my lips again gently.

"I'll surprise you tomorrow then." I said.

"How?"

I smiled at him. "You'll just have to wait and see."

"Mmm, can't wait." He said, kissing my lips slowly.

I wrapped my arms around his waist. I kissed down his neck slowly. "You know, since you told me you loved me." My hands drifted further south on his body. "I've never wanted you more." I said quietly, nibbling on his earlobe.

Troy groaned. "Not tonight baby." He said, grabbing my hand.

"And the fact that you keep denying me is making me wetter." I kissed his ear. He pulled away and looked at me. "Sorry, I'm horny."

He chuckled. "I see that."

I shut my eyes. "I'll try to sleep, maybe it will go away."

Troy kept laughing. "You're going to dry hump me in my sleep."

"Don't tempt me." I rolled off the bed, taking off my pants. I kept my t-shirt on but took my bra off. I crawled under the covers. Troy took his clothes off, leaving his boxers on, crawling into bed with me. "You're making it really hard."

"So are you." He winked. "Pun intended."

I laughed out loud. "Goodnight Troy." I turned my back to him and pulled the blankets up to my neck.

He got out of bed, turning the light off. He came back and pulled me against him. He kissed the back of my neck slowly. "Can you be quiet?" He whispered.

"I can try." I smirked to myself. I turned to face him, kissing his lips firmly. I ran my tongue over his lips. He ran his hand up my shirt slowly, his fingers brushing along my boob gently. He pushed my shirt up and pulled away form me. He licked my belly button ring, kissing up my chest slowly. He swirled his tongue around my nipple before taking it in his mouth. I closed my eyes, laying my head back.

He fondled my other breast. He pulled his mouth away from my chest. "I love your boobs." He said quietly as he fondled both of them now.

I laughed quietly. "I'm glad your enjoying them." I licked my lips, getting an idea in my head. "You know the real question is can you be quiet?"

He chuckled. "I don't know."

I rolled on top of him. "Sit up." I commanded. He did as he was told, sitting back against his head board. I pulled my shirt off, setting it on the bed behind me. "Since you like them so much." I covered my chest with my hands, holding them up. I let them go, they bounced a little. "Where are your condoms?"

"Top drawer." He said, running his fingers down my body.

"Typical." I laughed, reaching into his drawer. I pulled one out and sat back up. "Were going to make this quick and quiet." I said, tugging off his boxers. I stood up and he pulled down my panties slowly. I stepped out of them and sat back down.

Troy ran his fingers along my collar bone. "I got you good." He said pointing to the hickey.

I smirked. "I taught you well." He rolled his eyes at me, kissing my lips firmly. I wrapped my hand around his penis, stroking it slowly. I squeezed him gently, kissing his lips. I pulled away, opening the package. I rolled the condom on. I guided him and he slipped in easily.

"Damn baby, you weren't joking." Troy said, gripping my ass cheeks. I just smirked at him. I grabbed onto the headboard and rocked my hips against his. His bed squeaked quietly from under us. I rolled my hips and he let out a quiet moan. "Fuck baby."

I covered his mouth and I sped up my thrusts. I bit my lip, keeping all of the sounds inside of my mouth. He dug my fingers into me. He thrusted up into me moving his hips quickly. I let out a shaky breath and let go of his mouth. I grab a hold on his hair. He moaned again and I clamped my hand over his mouth. "Troy, shut the fuck up." I said through my teeth.

He slowed down, jerking his hips toward me. He was breathing heavily. I released his mouth. "Holy shit." He said quietly catching his breath. I climbed off of him, laying back breathing heavily. Troy got up and walked towards his bathroom. I was still so fucking horny, I didn't even cum yet. I squeezed my legs together, running my fingers around my sensitive nipples. I pulled the blankets up around me and running my fingers down my body slowly. I dipped a finger into my core before circling my sensitive clit slowly.

Troy climbed back into bed with me. He peaked under the blankets then looked at me. I bit my lip, spreading my legs wider. He kissed my lips firmly. He slid two fingers into me. I held onto the back of his neck and slipped my tongue in his mouth. He rubbed my clit with his thumb. I shut my eyes as he moved his fingers faster in and out of me.

I bucked my hips against him, moving my hips in circles. I nibbled on his bottom lip gently. He pulled his fingers out, kissing my lips firmly. He kissed down my body slowly, sliding in between my legs. He placed gentle kisses along my vagina slowly. I let out a quiet breath as he buried his tongue in my folds. I clamped my hand over my mouth to stifle any noise that came out of my mouth. His tongue flicked against my clit.

He continued doing amazing things with his mouth. I felt my body tense up. He held down my shaking legs and I arched my back. I laid back once the high was over. Troy's head was resting against my stomach. I was now exhausted. I dropped my hand running my fingers through his hair slowly as my heart pounded wildly in my chest.

"Is your shower loud?" I asked quietly.

He shook his head, no. I regained my energy and sat up. Troy got up too. I walked over to his bathroom and turned on his shower. Troy followed me into the shower and kissed my lips lazily as he took the shower head off the hook. He moved the stream of water along his body then he turned it to me. I picked up a washcloth and his shower gel. I lathered up the soap and ran the washcloth over his muscled chest. He turned around and I washed his back. I smacked his butt, smirking.

I washed his balls carefully and handing him the washcloth. I looked around. "You use conditioner?" I smirked at him.

He shrugged. "It makes my hair soft."

I shook my head at him and put the shower head back on the hook. I grabbed his shampoo, rubbing some into my hair. I leaned my head back, letting the shampoo wash out of my hair. Troy rubbed the washcloth against me, slowly. I looked over at Troy. "You know what the good part about being in a relationship is?" I asked him.

"What?" He asked as he fondled my boobs with the soapy washcloth.

"I get to grow out my leg hair." I said smirking.

He stopped. "What?"

I laughed quietly. "I don't have to shave." He looked at me with a blank stare. "I have a really thick uni-brow. Thank god I don't have to wax anymore."

Troy stared at me for another minute. "I don't know how to feel about this."

I laughed, smoothing conditioner in my hair. We switched places and I let him rinse the shampoo out of his hair. I finished washing my body and we switched places again. I washed the conditioner out of my hair. I watched him smooth some into his hair. I washed my body off and kissed his lips gently before I got out of the shower. I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around me. I dug through his drawers and found a Phoenix Suns t-shirt and I pulled it on, wrapping my hair in the towel. I pulled out a pair of clean boxer shorts. I pulled out one for Troy throwing them on his bed.

I took the towel off and I brushed my hair. I put it up into a bun and crawled into bed. Troy came out in a towel. He dried his body off and pulled the boxers I left him on. He rubbed the towel against his hair. He collected all of our clothes and put him into the hamper. He climbed into bed with me kissing my forehead. I shut my eyes, laying my head against his chest.

* * *

Troy's alarm went off and I shot up quickly. Troy was still fast asleep beside me. It was 5:45. I rubbed my eyes and crawled out of his bed. I used the bathroom and got changed into my school clothes. I turned on his light and sat on the floor in front of his closet mirror and started putting on make up. I put some on my collarbone to hide the fading hickey Troy left me.

The alarm clock went off again. Troy groaned, smacking it. "Fuck." He got up, stretching.

"Good Morning Sunshine." I said, looking over at him. He groaned again, falling back against his pillows. I put my make up away and got up. I walked over to him, kissing his lips gently. "You really have to get up, it's six."

His eyes flicked open at me. "I'm up." He got out of bed and kissed my lips again, walking into the bathroom. I put his boxers and the shirt I was wearing into my bag. I zipped it up.

"I'm going to take my stuff home, I'll meet you at school." I said, picking up my bag. He rushed out of the bathroom. "Go wash your hands first." I pointed to the bathroom.

He sighed and walked back in there. I laughed to myself, he's like a child. He came out holding his hands up like a surgeon. "Don't touch me, I'm sterile."

I laughed again, pulling him closer. I kissed his lips. I pointed to my lip. "Look, it's like it was never even there."

He ginned at me. "You're beautiful with or without it."

I kissed him again. "I have to go make my lunch, I'll see you later."

"Okay." He kissed me one last time before I walked out of his room with my bags.

I walked down the stairs. "Thanks for letting me stay over Lucy, I'll see you later."

"Alright sweetheart. Have a good day at school." Lucy said from the couch.

I walked out of the door and walked home. I walked straight to my room, putting my bags down. I put my keys in my purse and I walked into the kitchen. My mom was standing by the coffee pot. I pulled out the bread and made myself a sandwich, silently.

"So you and Troy are together now?" She asked. I nodded, putting other things in my lunch bag. "You really like him don't you?"

"Yes." I grabbed a travel cup and poured myself some coffee.

"I have to go to Washington for a few days." Mom said.

"Okay."

"If you get lonely then you can go to the Bolton's house. I already talked to Lucy, she said it's fine." Mom said, grabbing a yogurt out of the fridge. I nodded, pouring some milk into my coffee then sugar, mixing it. I twisted the cap on. She sighed, watching me. "I'm sorry Gabi."

"I have to go to school." I said. I put my lunch in my purse and grabbed my cup of coffee. I put my purse over my shoulder and held my keys in my hand. "See you whenever you get back." I walked out of the door and got into my car. I took a long drink of coffee before setting it in my cup holder.

I got to school and put my things in my locker. I felt two arms wrap around me. "Hey beautiful girl." Troy said kissing the side of my neck.

I smiled at him. "Hey." I wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing his lips gently. "Mom's going to be gone all week." I said with a sigh.

"You can hang out with my mom." Troy offered, chuckling.

"I just might." I pulled away from him and took my hair out of my bun. "How does it look?"

"Perfect." He winked. "Are we having lunch on the roof?"

"We can have lunch in the cafeteria, with your friends." I offered. "I don't mind."

He grinned. "Alright." I closed my locker, looking at him. "Can I walk you to class?"

"Sure." He held his hand out and I locked my fingers in between his. We walked into class and everybody was staring at me. I let go of Troy's hand. "Hey Chad." Troy greeted.

"Gabi! Dude! I saw that KO. It was killer. Like two hundred people liked it on Facebook." Chad said, sitting on the desk talking to me.

"What?" I said, looking over at him. "Who put it on Facebook?!" Why the hell would some body put it on Facebook? I rubbed my forehead, looking at Troy. "Did you?" I asked.

He held my hand before I could smack him. "No, babe, I didn't."

Sharpay walked by. "Hey Gabi! Everybody loved the boxing match!"

"You put it on Facebook?!" I asked, storming over to her.

"Yep!" She sat down crossing her legs. "It got like two hundred likes, beside it got like three thousand views on You Tube yesterday alone."

"You put it on You Tube?!" I almost yelled. "What the fuck Sharpay? Why would you do that?"

She looked at me confused. "I just thought-"

"No, you didn't think. Why would you put it up for the whole school to see it? If I wanted everyone to know I would have told them!" I said loudly. I rubbed my temples and walked back to my desk.

"Gab-"

"I don't want to talk right now." I cut Troy off. He sat down quietly behind me. I didn't say anything for the rest of the class. When the bell rang I got up quickly, waking out of class. I made it to my next class and Troy caught up with me.

"Hey, hey, hey. Are you alright?" He asked, wrapping my arms around me.

I nodded. "I'm fine. I'll meet you for lunch." I pecked his lips before walking into class. I sat on my desk and rubbed my forehead. Fucking Sharpay.

* * *

I was in a good mood so i thought, why not? I can't believe we're at 100 reviews already. Thank you so much for all your nice comments. I seriously read them over and over again. Some of y'all are hilarious. I love it! I love you guys! You guys are the shit, i swear. Don't forget to review!

PS- minixoxmya... You are more amazing!


	13. Bet

At lunch time I took my lunch out of my locker. I was going to eat lunch with Troy's friends. On the awkwardness scale this is probably going to be about a 10. I sighed to myself and shut my locker. I still can't believe Sharpay put my match on You Tube. I never really wanted them on the internet but since Shane is my trainer he's kind of obligated to for business purposes.

I licked my lips and looked up. Sharpay and Ryan was standing right in front of me. "Okay, So I'm going to totes over look the fact that we had a total bitch fit in homeroom. I forgive you. So when we go to the mall do you wanna meet there or do you want to like go together? Because both would be totally fine, whatever you want."

"What she means is that she's sorry for posting those videos without permission. She hopes you can forgive her and that you're still on for the mall this weekend." Ryan said looking at me.

"Thank you Twinkle toes." I said, looking from Sharpay to Ryan.

"… Twinkle toes?" Ryan asked confused.

"I saw you dancing down the hall way one day. You're really good." I said.

Ryan smiled brightly. "Then I accept your nickname. Most football players call me that because they don't like the fact that i'm comfortable with my sexuality."

I rolled my eyes. "Fuck them."

"Hey! What's my nickname?" Sharpay asked, crossing her arms.

"Pain in my ass." Ryan said, smirking. She scoffed.

I smirked. "What do you want your nickname to be?"

"Princess" She said, smiling.

I raised my eyebrows at her. "I'm not calling you princess. I have to go meet Troy for lunch."

"Speaking of Troy! What is going on with you two?" She asked, smiling.

"We're in a relationship." I said.

"Ha! Five bucks!" Ryan said holding out his hand.

"Shit." Sharpay said sighing. She put five dollars in his hand.

I laughed quietly. "I'm going to go, I'll see you both later." I walked into the cafeteria and found Troy and his friends. I sat down in between him and Chad. "Hey Poodle. Hey Troy." I kissed Troy's lips quickly.

"Hey Gabster." Chad said, enthusiastically. I looked around at the table. There was Jason from homeroom, Max from my Chemistry class and another guy I didn't know. They all stared at me silently. "Taylor said she would go out with me!"

"But under one condition." Troy added.

I licked my lips. "What's that?" I asked, turning to Chad.

He was quiet for a moment. "Can you do me a solid?" I looked at him, confused. " She said she'd only go out with me if you competed with the Scholastic Decathlon team after school on Friday."

I looked at him as if he were joking. "Please tell me your kidding." Chad shook his head, his curls bouncing. "What a fucking bitch!"

"That's what we've been telling him!" The guy I don't know said.

"Shut up Zeke." Chad said. Zeke? Where did I hear that name before?

"Baylor and Cross agree with me. Hamilton thinks he should go for it." Troy explained.

"ZEKE BAYLOR! That's where I know you from." I said, jumping. Zeke looked at me, scared and confused. "I've heard nothing but nice things about you is all." I said trying to save myself.

Troy shot me a weird look. "Whatever. Can you do that for me Gabs? It's just one day!" Chad pleaded.

I looked over at him. "I'll think about it. The fact that she's doing this kind of pisses me off so I don't know how well it will go." I finally opened my lunch and started eating. Troy put his hand on my knee. I smiled at him as we ate our lunch. We were finished, I saw Jason was staring at me. I knew one of them was itching to ask me about boxing. I sighed. "Go ahead and say it."

"I can't believe you knocked that girl out! How long was she out for?" Jason asked enthusiastically.

I laughed quietly. "I don't know, I walked away after I won."

"That wasn't fake?" Max asked.

"Why would it be fake?" I furrowed my eyebrows.

"I mean, Sharpay posted it." Max said.

They all mumbled something and nodded in agreement. I laughed quietly. "It's real. Troy was there." I said, looking over at Troy. He was in the middle of a drink. He nodded, with the water bottle up to his lips.

"Do you have your own Website?" Jason asked, intrigued.

"No." I shook my head.

"Do you want one. I'll make one for you. Gabriella Montez dot com." Max said. "My dad works with computers, he teaches me stuff."

"I'll have to think about it." I said. I looked over at Chad who was unusually quiet. "You alright poodle?"

He looked up at me. "Yeah, I'm fine." He said quietly.

I groaned, looking at him. I knew what I would have to do to cheer him up. "I'll be right back." I said, kissing Troy's lips quickly. I got up and scanned the room. I found just who I was looking for. "Hey."

Taylor McKessie looked at me startled. "Hello?" She asked, confused.

"I'll compete with your stupid club on Friday and ONLY Friday. I'll only be able to come to practice on Tuesday and Thursday but I have to leave by Five. You will go out with Chad and you will pretend to have a good time even if it kills you. If you flake out of him then… well I'm sure you've seen the video." I said, glaring at her. "Got it?"

She nodded quickly with a small smile on her face. "Got it."

I turned around and walked back to the table. "What was that?" Troy asked before the bell rang.

I collected my things. Chad and Troy looked at me. "Smile Poodle, you've got a date."

A huge smile broke out on my face. He picked me up and spun me around. "I fucking love you!" Chad kissed my cheek before running out the cafeteria.

"You've just made him very happy." Troy said walking me out of the cafeteria. "You're hot when you're nice to my friends." He said kissing my ear.

I laughed. "Whoever is friends with you is okay with me. You are my boyfriend after all."

He grinned and kissed my lips. "What did you say to McKessie?"

I laughed quietly. "I just laid down some rules."

"You're so beautiful." He grinned, kissing my lips slowly. "I love you." He said quietly against my lips.

"I love you too." I said quietly. "I'll see you after school."

"Bye baby." He said, smiling at me. I watched him walk away before I walked into class.

* * *

I just walked into my house after school. Mom's car was gone, she was at work. I walked upstairs into my room. I found a pile of Hershey's kisses on my bed. I furrowed my eyebrows, smiling slightly. I scooped them off my bed and lined them up neatly on my desk. There were exactly 25 of them. I heard a knock on my balcony door.

Troy was standing there, smiling. I walked over to the door and opened it. "Hey beautiful." He said kissing my lips.

"If you're going to leave candy, you might as well just stay in my room." I said as he sat down on my bed.

"I don't want you to think I'm a creeper or something." He chuckled. I shook my head at him. "No run today?"

I shook my head. "I have the week off for the KO." I pulled off my jeans and put some yoga pants on. I took off my shirt and put Troy's Suns shirt on.

"Hey that's mine!" He said, pulling me closer to him. He held onto the back of my thighs. "I love that shirt."

"It's the shirt you were wearing on my first day of school." I said, moving my hair behind my ear. "I'm getting my tattoo tonight, will you come with me?"

"Sure" He grinned at me. "Where are you getting it?"

"I'm thinking right here." I took his hand and brushed it against my ribcage under my shirt. "Or up here." I lead his hand to just above my shoulder blade. "Or here" I put his hand on my collarbone.

He licked his lips. "I like all of those places." I leaned against him, making him fall backwards onto the bed. I kissed his lips slowly. He moved his hands down to my butt.

I just leaned against him. "What do you do during off season?"

"Golf." He said chuckling. "They don't make us practice we just go to Lava Springs play 18 holes every weekend."

"You missed two games?" I asked, looking at him.

He shook his head. "Doesn't start till spring, but I don't know if I'm going to play this year because of my mom." I nodded. "What do you do?" He asked.

"Homework. College classes. Train still. Spend time with Boyfriend if I had one." I said. "I usually didn't have much free time."

He nodded, understanding. He was quiet for a moment. "Do you think she's going to lose her hair?" He asked, talking about his mom.

"Probably. It's a side effect." I said, looking at him.

"If she does then I'll shave my head." He said looking at me.

I smiled. "Really?" He nodded. "If you do it then I'll do it."

"You'll shave your head?" He asked, I nodded. "I don't believe you."

I laughed. "You know I mean everything I say."

"We'll see. You love your hair." He said.

"I love you and your family more." I said, running my fingers through his hair. "Besides my hair grows back fast."

"Mmm, we'll see." He repeated. He kissed my lips firmly. "You're beautiful."

"You've told me." I said, rolling off him.

"Where are you going?" He pulled me back towards him. "Don't go." He mumbled against my neck.

"I'll be right back." I said, getting up.

"I'll go with you." He got up as well.

I laughed. "Troy, you don't need to be clingy, I'm just going to the kitchen."

He scoffed. "I'm not clingy."

I smirked at him. "You don't want to bet me."

"I didn't say anything about a bet." He said, crossing his arms.

"I know, but you're thinking it. You're a guy and more importantly an athlete, you want to win. I feel the same way. I feel like I always need to win." I licked my lips. "So tell me, what do you want to bet?"

He stared at me for a moment. "Fine. I bet you that I can go an hour without touching you."

"Troy, you can't go five minutes without TALKING to me. What makes you think you're going to go an hour without touching me?" I smirked at him. "I bet you can't go a day without talking to me."

"You know what? You're on." I held my hand out for him to shake. He shook my hand.

"Starting at midnight tonight and ending midnight tomorrow night." I said.

"So I have the rest of the day to talk your ear off." Troy grinned devilishly.

"Great." I said sarcastically, walking out of my room. Troy followed me and I ran away from him. I went out to the backyard. I needed a place to hide, quickly. I climbed up the tree and sat in the tree.

"Gabi!" Troy called after me. "Where the hell did you go?" He was outside. He walked past the tree and over to the side of the house. "Come out, come out wherever you are." He walked out of my range of sight and I climbed onto the balcony. "Ha! Found you!" I heard him yell.

I froze, gripping on the balcony. I looked for him but I heard the door close shut. I opened the balcony door and ran over to my bedroom door, closing it quickly. I heard two thuds and a groan. I opened the door slowly and saw Troy, laying on the floor rubbing hiss forehead. He just stared at me. I burst out laughing. "T-Tr-" I couldn't even get his name out I was laughing so hard, I fell to the ground.

"Not funny." Troy said through gritted teeth.

"It is so funny." I collapsed on his chest in another fit of giggles.

Troy was just shaking his head. He sat up slowly. "I never noticed the hammock until now."

I calmed down and my head rested on his thigh. "I think my mom put it up before we left on Friday." I got up and helped him up. We walked down stairs and I sat on the counter. "I've just decided something."

He looked at me. "I'm scared."

"I'm not that bad." I said rolling my eyes. "This will probably be bad for you though."

"Why?"

"I want to be courted." I announced.

Troy blinked at me. "Courted?"

I nodded my head. "Yes. You have to take me out on dates. Real dates… fun dates. Be creative."

"And if I don't?" He said, raising his eyebrows.

"Then you'll never have sex with me again."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "You play dirty."

"Since I'm going to be here for a while I want the full dating experience." I swung my legs, gently kicking the counter.

"Does going to get your tattoo count as a date?" He asked.

"No. Jesus. Come on Troy. I'm sure the last girl you dated you took out on a date." He sighed. "I know we skipped the whole dating thing and went straight to sex. I don't want it to be like that though. I don't want to fuck every night and that be the only quality time we spend together." I said, quietly, looking at my feet. "I want to be wooed. No other guy has gone out of his way to make me feel special. It would be nice to see what it was like once in a while."

Troy was quiet, staring at a picture of me and my mom on the fridge. "I can plan something for Wednesday." He said, looking over at me.

I nodded, smiling softly. "Okay."

"I would say tomorrow but you have that McKessie thing and we're not talking tomorrow so…" He walked closer to me. "I'll use it to think of where we can go."

I wrapped my arms around his neck. I kissed his lips slowly. "Thank you." I grinned at him.

He held my waist. "You know I was right. You are a romantic at heart. I don't think you're lost anymore. You're right where you should be." He kissed my lips again. "I would do anything for you, Gabriella."

I smirked at him. "I know." He slid his arms from my waist and flicked my nose before running away. "OW! Hey, you ass, get back here." I chased after him and I tackled him on the ground. I punched his leg lightly. "I'm going to give you a dead leg."

He laughed when I kept punching him. "Charlie Horse!" He yelled, while laughing and groaning and trying to grab my hands at the same time.

I stopped and pinned his legs and arms down to the ground. I kissed his lips softly. "Remember Baby, I always win." I smirked, climbing off him. I walked back into the kitchen.

Troy was still groaning. "Gabi! I can't feel my leg!"

"That's the point." I said, looking through the fridge for something to eat.

* * *

Troy went with me to the tattoo parlor and held my hand. We ate and came back to my house. He left a little before midnight and I curled up in bed. When I got up I took a quick shower and got dressed. I put my piercing back in and straightened my hair. I made myself lunch and took everything to my car. Today was going to be a shitty one. I'm not going to talk to Troy, unless he cracks. I have to spend after school with Taylor in that stupid club.

I sighed to myself and got out of the car at school. I walked to my locker and put my stuff in. Sharpay walked up to me. "Hi!" She smiled brightly.

"Hello Sharpay." I said, closing my locker.

"How are you?" She asked, still smiling. Her face looked like it hurt because she was smiling so big.

"I'm fine. Did you get like botox or something?" I asked, poking her cheek.

"God no! I'm not that old yet." She said. "I was wondering if you wanted to sit with me, Ry and Kelsi at lunch today… Troy can come too."

"I'll sit with you." I said. "Troy and I have a bet, we cant talk to each other for 24 hours." I explained. "He probably won't be hanging out with us."

"You guy's are so weird." She said, rolling her eyes. "Let's walk to class." She locked her arms with mine and sauntered down the hall, pulling me along with her. "Move it frizzy you're cutting off my cell reception." She yelled at a girl who was in her way.

I smirked as she pulled me along with me. She stopped when another tall blonde girl stepped in front of us. "Hey, Bitch." The girl said. I looked at Sharpay, was she talking to me or to her? I licked my lips. "I see you're running around with this slut."

I raised my eyebrow. "Excuse me?" I said, looking at this girl.

"We all know who is the slut around here Hannah." Sharpay said, crossing her arms.

I looked at Sharpay and smirked. "This is football team fingering girl?"

"Yep, that's her." Sharpay said. "Does being desperate make you feel good?"

"At least I'm not named after a dog." She countered.

I winced. "I'm actually embarrassed for you right now." I shoved past her, walking into class. Troy was sitting in his desk. He winked at me when he made eye contact. I smirked at him and sat in my seat. He played with my hair and I smacked his hand away. I glared at him and turned back around.

Darbus walked into the room. She set her things on the desk. "Good Morning class. Trivia for the day. Who did Capulet choose to be Juliet's suitor?"

Ryan's hand shot up. "Parris."

"Very good." She said. She paced across the front of the room talking about today's events. Ryan distracted her with a good 10 minute discussion about Romeo and Juliet. I felt Troy playing with my hair again. He was testing me. I rolled my eyes to myself and looked through my book. He wouldn't stop playing with my hair.

I sighed. "Hey." I said to the girl next to me. I waved her over. She looked confused but leaned over. "Tell Troy to stop fucking with my hair or else I'll punch him in the balls. Can you do that for me?" I whispered into her ear.

She looked at me wide eyed. "I-I guess." She got up out of her desk. She stood next to him. She bit her lip and tapped Troy's shoulder. He looked up at her. She leaned down and whispered in his ear. Troy's eyes caught mine. He smirked and the girl walked back to her desk. I turned to face front. I felt Troy play with my hair again and I groaned to myself. I moved all my hair to my shoulder so he couldn't touch it.

* * *

**Greetings all. Happy Tuesday. I love tuesdays, i get out early... all the good shows are on... i get to nap. lol. (currently going through comments to see if i need to comment on anything.) Lovestoread15: She didn't put her piercing back in until this chapter, she just put make up over the hole to make it look like it wasn't there. dyeitrouge: you're so cute. and everybody else: I love you like... (thinking of something that everybody would understand) I love you like ninja turtle love pizza... like a love song baby... like Jenna loves Kermit and Marbles. (10 points for anybody who knows what i'm talking about.) Okay, enough of my weirdness. Farewell my internet frends. i'll be back on thursday.**

**Don't forget to review :)**


	14. Date

At lunch I found myself sitting in between Ryan and Sharpay. Sharpay was going on and on about this new show she's working on for the community theatre. Ryan was talking to Kelsi and her cousin Kaitlin, who was a freshman. I was ready to take a sedative. God love Sharpay but man that girl talked more than Troy did on his worse day. I was thinking about making a bet with her.

"Do you want to play that secrets game again?" She asked, catching my attention.

"Sure." I said, looking at her.

She sighed. "My first stage kiss was with this guy named Tyler, he was a total asshole but he was so cute."

"I got a tattoo." I said.

She gasped. "No way! Show me!" I took off my sweater and pulled down my shirt showing her the quote of ink along my collarbone. "'Not all those who wander are lost'…. Cute."

"Thanks." I said, licking my lips. I pulled my sweater back on. "I really like it."

"My mom is like an under cover slut. We totally had a conversation about it one time." Sharpay said, looking at me.

I laughed. "Hey, so is my dad. He's not so undercover though. He's just a prick." I thought for a moment. "When I was six I wanted a perm."

She laughed. "I'm a brunette. I don't know how Ry and I are twins when he's blonde, blue eyed and I'm brunette with brown eyes."

I laughed quietly. "One of you could look like one parent and one could look like the other."

"This is true." She nodded. She rubbed her forehead "Oh well." She said, "I want to hit up the MAC store when we go to the mall. They have like the best everything."

"Okay." I said, taking a drink of my water. She was quiet for a moment and did the same. "I had sex with Troy."

She spit out her water. "WHAT!" She yelled. The whole room went quiet and all the attention in the room went to her. I shushed her. "Oh my god! How was it?"

I smirked. "It was just sex."

"Please. He's Troy Bolton! You cannot say it's just sex!" She whispered loudly.

"It was good." I said shrugging. "What do you want me to say?"

"Details!" She shrieked.

I made a face. "No that's weird. I don't want to hear about your sex life."

"Shit, if I did it then I would tell you whether you'd like it or not." She said, looking at me.

"That reminds me, I need to get you laid." I said, crinkling my water bottle. "I met Zeke yesterday, he's cute."

Sharpay blushed. "He doesn't even know I exist."

I rolled my eyes and checked the time. "We had a couple more minutes left of lunch. Come on." I got up and threw my trash away. I put my purse on my shoulder. "Come on, get up."

"Why?' She asked, getting up.

"Come with me." I said. I held her hand and pulled her down to the lower level of the cafeteria where Troy and his friends sat. I walked over to their table and they all stopped talking when they saw me and Sharpay. "Hello Poodle, Zeke, Jason, Max." I sat down in between Troy's legs and Sharpay sat next to me next to Zeke.

"What's up Gabi?" Chad asked, looking at me confused.

Troy wrapped his arms around me, kissing the back of my neck. "You all know my friend Sharpay right?" I looked at all the boys.

"Yeah." They all answered wearily.

"I was just making sure. She and I wanted to go to pizza on Saturday if you guys wanted to come. Chad, you can bring Taylor. Max, Jason, Zeke do you have girlfriends?" I asked, smiling.

"No, I don't" Zeke said, looking at Sharpay.

"Me either." Jason said.

"I can't go. I have to work, but maybe next time." Max offered.

I nodded. "Oh for sure." I said, looking over at Zeke. "Are you in Zeke?"

He nodded. "Okay, sure." He smiled.

"Jason?" I asked. He nodded too. "Great. We can go shopping then meet for pizza." I got up. "Come on Sharpay." We walked back towards the stairs.

"What the hell was that?" Sharpay hissed.

"That is how you network, my dear. It's like putting up flyers for a show. It's like hey, if your interested I'm single but i'm not desperate and were going in a group so no pressure."

Sharpay threw her arms around me dramatically. "Where have you been all my life?"

* * *

After school I met Taylor McKessie and her club in my Chemistry classroom. They were all talking amongst themselves. I sat down and looked at all of them. "Okay, let's do this shit." I said.

McKessie started writing equations on the board and I watched two people try to answer it. They were taking forever. McKessie looked over the answers. "Both of them are wrong. Sabrina, I thought you were good at cosines?" She groaned. "Jamie, you messed up the whole second part!"

"Whoa McKessie, calm the fuck down. Sabrina, right?" The girl nodded. "Let me show you a little secret that math teachers don't." I showed her an easier way to figure out the equation and she caught on quickly. I turned to the guy who I assumed was Jamie. "And you… You forgot the negative right here." I showed him. "You can't forget stuff like that. You'll get it on the next time though, right?"

He nodded. "Uh, right." He walked to the back of the classroom and sat down.

"All you McKessie." I said, sitting back down. I propped my chin up on my knuckles.

She got up and cleared her throat. "Well let's start again." She erased the white board and wrote down a new equation. "Gabriella, me and you. Martha keep time."

Martha nodded and took the stop watch. I got off my seat and walked over to the board. I grabbed a pen. I studied the equation. "Ready? Go." Martha said.

I started solving the equation, within a matter of minutes I found the answer, circling it. "Done." I said, capping my pen.

"Done." Taylor said just after me.

"Wow. That was crazy fast." Martha said, showing Sabrina my time.

"It only counts if it's correct." Taylor said, handing Martha the paper.

Martha got up and checked my equation. "Correct." She said, looking over at Taylor. "You were off by point 2" She said looking at Taylor.

"What?! That can't be right!" Taylor said ripping the paper out of Martha's hand. She let out a frustrated sigh and violently erased the white board. I waltzed back to my seat and sat down. I licked my lips as the next people went up to do an equation.

At 4:55, I got up. "Well I'm out." I said. "See you on Thursday." I walked out of the door.

"Gabriella! Wait!" I heard somebody call after me. I turned around to see Taylor. "Hey."

"Hi." I said, looking at her. "What?"

"I just wanted to say your intelligence is really impeccable." Taylor said.

I looked at her for a minute. "Yours is too. You just have to use it for good, not evil. Constructive criticism does wonders" I licked my lips. "See you Thursday."

She nodded. "See you."

I turned and walked out to my car. I got in and drove home. I finished my homework and made dinner for myself. I put some shorts on and tank top and crawled into bed. I yawned, letting my eyes drift shut. I heard my balcony door shut. I groaned and sat up. Troy was taking off his shirt and pants. He crawled into bed with me.

I looked at the time. It was only 11:30. I laid back down, closing my eyes. He kissed the back of my neck, spooning me. I yawned again, getting comfortable in his arms. I was drifting off into sleep until Troy popped up. "Baby, it's midnight! I won." Troy said quietly.

"If you ever want to touch me sexually again, you are going to let me go back to sleep." I said through gritted teeth.

"I love you baby." He said, kissing the back of my head.

"I love you too Troy." I said, closing my eyes again. I was awake now. I opened my eyes again and turned to face him. His eyes were closed. I ran my fingers down his face slowly. His eyes flicked open. "I can't sleep."

He frowned. "Sorry babe. I just missed you." He kissed my lips gently. "I missed you a lot."

"It was just a day. You made it through." I said, smiling at him.

"Do we really have to go to the mall with you and Sharpay?" He asked.

I nodded. "Yes. It's a part of your boyfriend duties. I'll move up sex on the fourth date to sex on the third date." I bribed.

"Deal!" He said, kissing me again. He pulled away quickly. "Wait! What do you mean sex on the third date?"

"You have to take me on three dates until we have sex again." I said, looking at him. "And Zeke has to come to the mall."

"Why?" He asked confused.

I licked my lips. "If I tell you something you have to promise to keep it between me and you."

"Okay."

"You can't tell Chad."

"Okay."

"Or Jason and Max."

"Okay."

"Or Zeke."

Troy laughed. "Okay! I promise!"

I kissed his lips gently. "Sharpay has a crush on Zeke, but she thinks that he thinks of her just as the ice queen. I'm not playing match maker but I just want to give her a little push." I said, looking at him.

"Really? Sharpay likes Zeke?" He asked, looking at me.

I nodded. "Yes. We play this secrets game. We tell each other random stuff."

"What did you tell her about me?" He asked, smirking.

"That your ego is compensating for your small penis." I said with a poker face.

He grinned at me and kissed my lips slowly. "Baby, you and I both know that that is not true." He husked against my lips. His hands roaming my body slowly.

"Hands above the waist." I instructed. He moved his hands towards my chest. "No boobs either."

He groaned, "You can't cut a man off cold turkey."

"Date three you are in for the ride of your life." I said, smirking at him. I kissed his lips firmly. "I'm tired now, can we go to sleep please?"

"Of course baby, goodnight." He placed his lips on mine tenderly. He smiled against my lips. "I forgot to tell you, you look so sexy with your hair straightened."

I laughed quietly, facing away from him. "Good night Troy."

* * *

School was it's usual bullshit. Sharpay came and sat with me, Troy and his friends at lunch. It was interesting, a little awkward at moments, but interesting nonetheless. I drove home after school was out and there was a package at our front door. I picked it up and brought it inside.

It was addressed to me so I brought it up to my room. I set the box on the bed and took my sweater off. I tossed it on my desk chair. I licked my lips and sat down on my bed, picking up the box. I studied it for a moment before I started ripping the tape off. The box was pretty small, a little bigger than my hand. I opened it up and picked up the piece of paper on the top.

_Dear Gabriella,_

_I do realize now that you will probably never willingly be in the same room with me. I understand that my mistakes had an impact on all of our lives. I hope that one day you will give me a chance to make it up to you. I give anything to be apart of your life. You don't know how proud I am to be your father. When your mother and I talk on the phone, she tells me about you and your new adventures. When you first started boxing, when you got each piercing, every first day of school you had over and over again. I wished I could have been there for each one of those things, but I know I'm not welcome anymore._

_You broke my heart when you were seven, when you told me you didn't want to talk to me. I deserved it. I deserve all of it. I can't take back what I did. Nothing I will ever do can make it up to you. I have learned from my mistakes. I love Phoebe and your brother. I hope if you don't give me a chance, you can give them a chance. I've been updated on your life. This picture book will keep you updated on mine. I love you so much._

_Love Dad._

I picked up the book that was resting in the box. I flipped to the first page. It was My father and phoebe on their wedding day. The right side was the picture and the left side was a caption. I flipped the page. It was a picture of them at their honeymoon in Hawaii. I flipped to the next page. There was an ultrasound picture. "The first picture of your brother." I read aloud. I sighed. I flipped to the next. It's a boy! The page read along with another sonogram of a bigger fetus with very noticeable penis.

I leaned back onto the bed going to the next page. Phoebe looked tired, holding a sleeping pink baby in her arms. Aaron Robert Montez. March 29. 7 pounds, 19 inches. I flipped to the next page. It was Aaron's birth announcement. The page after was Aaron's 6 months pictures. A picture of him at his first birthday was the following picture. There was one for each of the following birthdays. I flipped to the next page. It was an invitation to Aaron's fifth birthday party. It was in a couple weeks. I sighed and looked at it for a moment.

I had a decision to make. If I would try to attempt to go see my father again or not. I closed the book and set it on my dresser. I got up and tore apart the box. I walked down the stairs. I opened the front door and Troy was on the other side of it about to knock. We both jumped. "Hey." He said first.

I smirked at him. "Since when do you use my front door?"

"I just come by to tell you to dress comfortably for our date tonight. We're going to do quite some exercise." He said, leaning in to press a gentle kiss on my lips. "What's that?" He asked, looking at the box.

"A package that my father sent me." I said, showing him the empty box. "I was going to put this in the recycling bin."

Troy nodded, taking it from me. "I can. You go relax before our date. We're going to eat something light before we go."

I nodded. "Alright, thank you."

"You're welcome." He grinned at me, kissing me again. "I'll pick you up at six."

"Bye." I waved to him, closing the door behind me. I watched him in the little window next to the door. He threw the box in the recycling bin and walked away with his hands in his pockets. I had to get ready for my date. I walked back up to my bedroom and climbed into the shower.

I got ready for my date, dressing comfortably like he told me. I looked at the letter from my father on my bed and put it in my drawer. I slipped on my shoes and walked down the stairs. I grabbed an apple and ate it as I walked back up the stairs. I gathered my things, putting my phone in my purse. I walked back down stairs and set my purse on the couch.

There was a knock on the door. I opened the door to find Troy holding a bouquet of flowers. "For you, beautiful." He handed them to me.

I smiled. "Thank you Troy." I took them, wrapping my arms around Troy. I pecked his lips. "They're beautiful." I brought them inside, letting him in. I put them in a vase and set them in the middle of the kitchen island.

The door shut and Troy followed me into the kitchen. "I know I'm a little early, I just missed you."

I shook my head at him. "Where are we going?" I asked, looking at him.

"It's a surprise." He said, looking at me from across the room. "Are you ready to go?"

I nodded. "Yes." I walked past him into the living room. I picked up my purse and took out my keys. We walked out and I locked my door. I put my keys back into my purse and he helped me into his truck. Once he climbed in I scooted over and he placed his hand on my thigh. I buckled myself in and we took a little drive. I rested my head on my shoulder, just enjoying his company on the ride over.

We stopped at a little restaurant. We got out and ate a light meal. When we got back into the truck. "Do you want to know where we are going?" He asked.

"Of course." I said looking at him.

He smirked at me. "I'm not telling you."

I smacked him. "Rude."

"You love me." He nuzzled his face into my neck, kissing it gently.

I rolled my eyes at him. "I really should reevaluate my decisions." I said. He growled, biting my neck. "No hickey's Dracula." I pushed his head away from me. "Let's go."

"Only if I get a kiss." He said, puckering his lips.

I sighed and kissed his cheek. He growled again and cupped my face, kissing my lips firmly. I fell back onto the passengers seat. "You get aggressive when you're horny." I noted, as he pulled away from me. "I should deprive you of sex more often."

Troy's eyes darkened as he glared at me. I laughed as he started the car. I rubbed his leg as he drove his truck. We got to an arcade, it was a pretty good size. I guess he wanted me to kick his ass at video games. "Come on." He said, opening the door after we parked.

I got out and shut the door behind me. I caught up to him, slipping my hand in his. He smirked at me as we entered the arcade. We made our way around the arcade and we walked up the stairs. We stopped in front of a pair of double doors. I read the sign. "Laser tag? Really?" I asked excitedly.

He grinned and nodded his head. "Be prepared to get your ass kicked." He said just as he walked through the door. I followed him and there were a couple other people in the room. There was about eight of us. We got split into teams of four. Troy and I on different teams. There were three guy on my team. Each team went into separate rooms to get ready.

It was quiet when we were putting our vests on. "I don't know about you guys but I'm ready to kick their ass." I said, looking at the boys.

"Hell yea, me too." One of the guys said to me and we high fived each other.

"Team awesome." Another guy said, holding up his gun.

"Team awesome." I repeated. I holding up my gun to the other guys. The other two put their guns in and we were ready to go kick ass.

We entered the laser tag area and had a minute to get settled. I made my way through it and found a corner. I hid, making myself as small as possible. A bell rung and the game started. Our vests glowed green and the other vests glowed orange. I looked through a hole and saw an orange vest passing by. I shot at them and got them. They looked around and I ducked.

After about a minute somebody found me, shooting me. I took off running ,finding another hiding spot. I got hit a couple more times until I found another good hiding spot. I shot a bunch of orange vests from where I was. They couldn't seem to find me.

"Gabi! Where are you?" I heard Troy's teasing voice. It was close by. I kept myself hidden I saw him walk by and I shot him.

He found me and shot me. "Shit." I said, getting up. I took off to the place I was before. I ducked down and after I was on a roll, getting people more than once. The bell rang and the lights came on. I got up and I walked to the room. We put our guns into the machine we got them from and it calculated the winner of the team, which was me.

I took my vest off and we walked into the big holding room. We all met at the desk looking at the screen. "Five thousand?! Who got five thousand?" Somebody said from behind me.

Troy walked up to me. "Green won." I smirked.

"I know. But who the hell got five thousand?" He asked, bewildered.

He looked at the guys standing next to me, they all pointed to me. "We all got schooled by a girl." Somebody said from behind Troy.

I smirked at Troy and for my prize I got 100 tokens and a free game of laser tag. I walked over to Troy. "Let's go play some games." I said, shaking my cup of tokens.

"Fine." He grumbled. I kissed his cheek gently and I laced my fingers in between his.

* * *

**Hello Darlings. No blatherings today. Tell me what you think of the letter! What do you think Gabi's gonna do? I love you all. Have an amazing weekend. Go Ravens (for any football fans out there.) I'm from california, i know everybodys like wah niners... Just don't get me started lol. Be safe and don't let anybody drive drunk. Peace and Blessin's. Don't forget to review!**


	15. naughty

After a couple hours at the arcade Troy drove me home. He parked his truck in front of my house and walked me to my front door. He held my hands and looked at me. "Did you have fun tonight baby?" He asked, kissing my lips gently.

I nodded. "I had a great time. Thank you." I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed his lips slowly. "We definitely have to do it again."

He grinned. "We will baby." He stroked my sides slowly.

"Thank you for this. I know I kind of forced you, but thank you."

He smiled and shook his head at me. "I would do anything for you Gabriella." He kissed my hands and pulled away from me. "I should get home now."

I licked my lips. "Can you stay with me?" I asked quietly. "Please?"

Troy leaned in and kissed my lips slowly. "Of course."

I opened the door and pulled him inside. I locked the door behind us. We walked up to my room and I changed into shorts. Troy got himself ready for bed and climbed in bed with me. I kissed his lips firmly before resting my head on his chest. "Troy."

"Yes baby?" He asked, kissing the top of my head.

"I want to show you something." I said, getting up. I grabbed the letter and the book off my desk and handed it to him. He sat up, reading his note. I laid my head on his lap, watching him. He read the letter, looking on the back of the paper to see if there was more. He set it down and looked through the book.

Troy sighed. "Wow."

I licked my lips. "I don't really even know what to think about it." I admitted quietly. I watched him fold the letter and close it in the book.

"Are you going to try to see him again?" He asked, looking at me.

I shrugged. "I don't know."

"You have some time to think about it." Troy said, stroking my hair. "It will be okay."

I scooted up. "I don't want to talk about it anymore." I scooted closer to him, running my fingers along his chest slowly. He nodded, kissing a top of my head.

We were quiet for a moment. I thought Troy fell asleep. "How did you kick everybody's ass at laser tag?" He asked. I jumped a little bit then laughed quietly. "How the hell did you get five thousand points?"

"I had great hiding places. I was like a sniper. Seriously, one of your guys. Was just standing there and I kept on shooting him until he caught on." I said, laughing. "It's all about strategy, Troy."

Troy chuckled and shook his head. "Whatever works for you babe." He looked at me. "I kinda hoped we could sneak off into a corner and made out."

I laughed. "We didn't have to do that there. We could do that here." I leaned over to brush my lips against his. "But we don't have black lights."

"I was joking."

I smirked at him. "No you weren't. Do you get excited when you do naughty things in public places?" I asked, smirking at him. He kind of blushed and looked away. "I take that as a yes."

"I didn't say yes." He said, looking away.

"Mmm, I'll have to keep that in mind." I said, looking at Troy. I ran my fingers down his chest. "Want to go out on the balcony? I'll give you a BJ." I offered looking at him.

He just stared at me for a moment. "You serious?" He asked me.

"Yeah." I said getting out of bed. I opened the balcony doors and let the cool breeze drift in the room. "Come on." I walked back inside and grabbed a couple blankets and pillows. I laid a blanket out and put down the pillows. I sat down. Troy was just staring at me. "Get the fuck up Troy." I said, looking at him.

He got up and walked over to me. He sat down beside me. I pushed him back. His head hitting the pillows under him. "I'm not hard." He warned quietly.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I like a challenge." I pulled down his boxers, his limp penis resting against his thigh. I wrapped my hand around him and stroked him slowly. I leaned down and kissed his lips firmly. I reached down and cupped his balls, massaging them slowly.

He grabbed a fistful of my hair and kissed my lips firmly. His tongue danced against mine. Troy's other hand wandered down my body. He gave my ass a squeeze and I squealed slightly pulling my lips away from his. I bit my lip and left a trail of kisses down his chest. I kissed the tip of his penis. I gave him a little squeeze and he started growing in my hands. I dragged the tip of my tongue along the underside of his shaft. I flicked my eyes up to meet his. I straddled his legs and stroked him quickly. "Go on." He breathed out.

I smirked at him. "What do you want me to do?" I asked, looking up at him.

Troy's eyes darkened as I leaned down, blowing warm air against the tip of his penis. He hissed out. "I want to fuck you so bad right now." He said through gritted teeth.

I let out a quiet moan when he grabbed the back of my hair, forcing me down. "Mmm, I like it rough." I said, grasping my hand around his penis. My mouth covered the tip of his penis. He pushed my head down again and his head hit the back of my throat. I hummed and he let out a groan, letting go of my head. "Having no gag reflex comes in handy for something right?" I asked, stroking him quickly.

"Fuck Gabi." He said as I leaned down, circling my tongue around his tip. He pushed down my head again, making me bob up and down. I lightly sucked as my head bobbed around him. He was rock hard. I tightened my grip around it, I stroked and sucked at the same time. He held onto my hair, pulling at it.

I lifted my head up to catch my breath. I stroked it quicker. I ran my tongue against his balls, sucking on one then switching to the other one. I released his testicles with a pop of my mouth and a small gust of cool wind blew by. He let out a groan. "I can't till date three. I'm going to fuck you so hard." I murmured stroking it quicker, twisting as I go.

His hips buckled and he closed his eyes. "I'm close baby." He let out a shaking breath. He pushed my head back down and I covered his penis with my mouth. I teased the tip with my tongue, he pushed my head down further. "Mmm, fuck. Do that humming thing again?" He asked breathlessly. I started humming. "Oh fuck"

I released him from my mouth, spitting on him. I stroked him quickly, my hand tightly around him. I watched as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. I let out a quiet moan. "Do you like that baby?"

His seed shot out onto his stomach. He groaned as I kept stroking and another spurt erupted from him. Another little drip came out and I slowed my strokes. He put his hands on his head. "Shit." He cursed quietly. I got up and I dampened a washcloth. I washed his stomach off and put the cloth in the dirty clothes bin.

I pulled his boxers back on and smacked his thigh. "Come on, it's fucking freezing out here." I said. I grabbed my pillows and he took the blankets. I threw my pillows back on my bed and climbed in. Troy dropped the blankets on me and laid on top of me. I laughed. "Get off me."

"I'm too tired." He mumbled into the blankets.

"You're so heavy." I said, pushing him off me. He rolled next to me. I got up and turned off my light. I closed the doors to the balcony and locked them. I crawled back into bed and kissed his lips firmly. "I love you." I said, quietly against his lips.

He smiled lazily. "Mmm, love you too." He wrapped his arms around me, I pressed my body against his. I closed my eyes and let out a sigh. "Goodnight baby." He mumbled.

"Goodnight."

* * *

My alarm clock screamed at me and I got up. Troy was still asleep. I shook him. "Troy, Wake up." I said, shaking him again.

"Hm?" He groaned and rolled over.

"Troy, you have to get up." I said, smacking his butt. "You have to go home and get ready for school." I reminded him.

"Alright." He sighed and got up. Troy got off the bed and started getting dressed. I stretched my back and got out. I walked over to him and kissed his lips gently. "I'm going to get in the shower. I'll see you at school."

"Okay." He mumbled, kissing my lips again. "I love you."

"I love you too." I said cupping his face, kissing him again. "I'll see you later."

"Bye." He said, giving me one last kiss. He walked out the door.

I climbed into the shower. After my shower I got dressed and collected my things and brought them down stairs. I went into the kitchen and made myself some breakfast. I made my lunch and ate breakfast at the same time. I put my lunch in my purse. I walked outside and put my stuff in my car.

I drove to school and put my stuff in my locker. I lingered there for a minute but Troy seemed to be nowhere in sight. He must've been running a little late. Sharpay found me. "Hey girl!" She said excitedly. "What are you doing after school?" She asked.

"I have to do the stupid decathlon thing with McKessie." I said sighing.

"Why? I thought you didn't want to do that." She asked, confused.

"I'm doing it for Chad. He likes her. She's pulling a bitch move and only going out with him if I would compete with them for a week." I rolled my eyes. "She's a train wreak."

She frowned. "I was going to see if you wanted to go get your nails done, but maybe we can do that on Saturday too."

I shrugged. "Sure, I'm due in for a manicure." I said looking at my nails. "Have you seen Troy this morning?" I asked as we walked into class.

"No, he's usually by you in the morning." She said sitting in her seat.

"I'll just wait till he comes in." I sat down in my seat and waited for him to come in the door but he never did.

When it was lunch time I looked in the cafeteria and he wasn't there. I walked up stairs to the roof top and he wasn't there. I pulled out my phone. I had no messages from him. I called his number and sat down on the bench. "Hello?" He answered.

"Where the hell are you?!" I almost yelled into the phone.

He groaned. "I told Chad to tell you."

"Tell me what? I thought you got hurt or something. You scared the shit out of me." I said.

"Sorry baby. My mom collapsed this morning. Dad had already left for work, I had to take her to the hospital." Troy said.

I covered my mouth. "Oh my god, is she okay?"

"She's not feeling too well. They're doing kidney and liver function tests." He said sighing. "Dad couldn't leave work."

"Why didn't you tell me? I'm leaving right now." I said, about to get up.

Troy sighed. "Baby, you don't have to leave. She's okay. She's resting now. I'm with her. Chad called me earlier and I told him to tell you. I'm guessing he didn't."

"No. I'm going to kick his poodle ass." I sighed, frustrated. "Call me next time huh?" I said before hanging up on him. I didn't know who I was mad at right now but I felt like I needed to punch something. I walked down stairs. I made my way towards the parking lot. I heard somebody calling my name. "What?" I yelled turning around.

"I've been looking for you everywhere" Chad said. "Troy's mom-"

"I know." I said, cutting him off. "Tell Taylor I'm going home for the rest of the fucking day."

I turned around and I walked out to my car. I drove home and parked in the drive way. I didn't even bother eating my lunch. I just walked down stairs and wrapped my hands up. I once I started punching I didn't know when I would stop. I did my normal workout, except when I pissed off I did it ten times harder. I stopped when my arms were feeling tired. I peeled the tape off my hands and threw it down. I walked upstairs and laid in my bed.

I got my temper from my father. When I got scared, I'd turn it into anger. When I was sad, I'd turn it into anger. When I was anything but happy, I got pissed off. It wasn't healthy but boxing let me control my anger. It gave me an outlet to release all the anger that just built up inside of me. It was one of the many reasons I loved boxing. I looked at the time. It was four. I had been down stairs for four hours.

I walked back into my kitchen. I ate my lunch that I packed and brought up my homework. I buried myself into homework to keep my mind from wandering. My phone started ringing. I picked it up without bothering to look at it. "Hello?"

"What class did you skip?" My mom asked. "They call me you know. This school calls me and leaves me a voice mail."

"I went home at lunch because I was pissed off." I said, putting my pencil down. "When are you coming home?"

"I'll be home on Friday." She said. "The morning probably. Why?"

"This girl conned me into joining the decathlon team for the week. We have a competition on Friday and I want you to come. I also have this package that Robert sent me and I want to see what you think about it." I said. "Troy's mom went to the hospital today. He had to take her because Jack was at work. He didn't show up to school, it scared me."

"He's fine, right Gabi? Relax." She said quietly. "Go buy some flowers and bring them to her, from us. Okay? I have to get back to a meeting."

"Okay." I said. "I'll talk to you later."

"I love you, bye sweetheart." She said before hanging up.

I finished my homework and I grabbed my purse. I walked out to my car. I went to a small flower shop and bought some pretty flowers. I drove to the hospital and saw Jack on the way in. "Hey Gabi." He said when he saw me.

"Hey Jack, how's she doing?" I asked, we made our way to the elevator.

"Not good." Jack said. "They didn't get the results back but it's this whole sickness is taking a toll on her body."

"I wish I could help." I said, looking down at the flowers I had brought.

"The flowers will mean the world to Lucy. She'll be happy to see you." Jack said, patting my back. The elevator opened and I followed Jack to her room. I let him go in first. I walked in, standing at the door. Troy was sitting in the chair next to the bed.

He hadn't seen me come in yet. I took another step in and Troy's head shot over to me. He stared at me for a minute and got up. He wrapped his arms around me and I wrapped my arms around him. He kissed my forehead and I pulled away from him.

"Hey Gabi." Lucy said. "Those flowers are gorgeous."

I smiled at her. "They're for you." I said. I set the vase down on the table in the room. I walked back over to her. I sat on Troy's lap. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm hanging in there." She said with a smile. "I'll be okay."

I clasped my hand around hers. "You will be okay. You're a fighter."

She smiled at me and rubbed her thumb along the top of my hand. She closed her eyes. I let go of her hand and leaned back against Troy. "How was school?" He asked quietly.

"I left at lunch."

"Why?" He asked, looking over at me.

"Because I needed to punch something." I said, looking over at him. "So I went home and took it out on my bag."

He sighed and rubbed my waist, leaning his head against my arm. "They're going to cut her hair." Troy said quietly.

"I want a pretty wig." Lucy said, her eyes still closed.

I smiled. "I'll pick you out a beautiful wig Lucy." I said, smiling at her.

"One like your hair. It's so long and beautiful." She said.

I gave Troy a small smile. He kissed my cheek gently. I leaned against him and closed my eyes. "Are you going to cut your hair?" I asked him. He nodded, nuzzling his face into my neck.

He started pushing me up. "Can you get up? I gotta pee." He said.

"Sorry." I said getting up quickly. I sat down and he walked out of the room.

"Take him home Gabi. Go get him something to eat. He can stay at yours again, just take him home." Jack said, looking at me. He handed me a twenty.

"I can't take this." I said, trying to give it back.

Jack chuckled. "Give it to Troy, he'll gladly take it."

"I'll take him." I said.

"Take who, where?" Troy asked as he walked into the room.

"We're going to go get some dinner." I said, looking at Troy.

He looked confused. "Do you want us to bring you back something?" He asked his parents.

"No baby, just go home. Your dad is here now." Lucy said, opening her eyes to look at Troy. "And go to school tomorrow and come back after Gabi's thing like we talked about."

Troy sighed. "Okay." He walked over to his mom and kissed her cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow. See you later dad."

"Stay strong Luce." I said, kissing her cheek gently. "I'll be back soon." I said, giving her a smile.

"Bye sweetheart." Troy's mom said.

"Bye Jack." I said, giving him a hug.

"See you later Gabi." He said.

I grabbed Troy's hand as we walked out. I kissed his cheek gently. "I love you, Troy. You're a good son." We entered the elevator and I leaned against him.

"I love you too. I'm glad you came." He said kissing the top of my head. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, I was freaked out when you didn't show up. When I get scared or something it all turns to anger." I said licking my lips.

He kissed my forehead. "I gathered that. Like your first day of school, when we were at your dads…" He trailed off. I stared blankly at him. "It's okay though babe."

I sighed and rubbed my forehead. "What do you want for dinner?" I asked, as we walked out of the elevator.

"I don't know, I'll meet you at my house. I have the truck." He walked me over to my car. He leaned over and kissed me. "I love you. I'll see you in a minute."

"Love you too." I said kissing him quickly before I got into the car.

We met up at his house and had dinner. He slept over and left early in the morning to get ready for school. I did my normal morning routine and I left for school. I got to school and walked to my locker. I put my stuff in there and met up with Sharpay before we went to homeroom. Troy was late again today.

In the middle of homeroom the door creaked open. Everybody's head shot over towards the door, including mine. Somebody, probably Sharpay, let out a dramatic gasp. Troy was standing at the doorway, his head completely shaven, holding a beanie in his hands. His eyes caught mine and I smiled at him. He grinned at me and walked over to Darbus. He handed her a note before he took his seat behind me.

"Um, Mr. Bolton, are you alright?" Mrs. Darbus asked, looking at him.

"Yes, Mrs. Darbus." He said. "I'll talk to you after class."

She nodded. "Alright, well, anyways."

We continued with our free time. I turned to him. "I like your head, can I touch it?" I grinned at him. He leaned his head over and I ran my fingers along his scalp. "You have a funny tan."

Troy laughed. "I know, That's what the barber said this morning. Do you have spray tan?" He asked.

I laughed at him. "No, you're not spray tanning your head. We can do some running outside. That'll do the trick." I ran my fingers along his scalp slowly. "It's so weird, is your head cold?"

"A little but that's why I have the beanie." He said, holding it up. I took it from him and pulled it on my head.

"Not anymore." I leaned over and kissed the top of his head. "What do you think your mom is going to say?"

Troy shrugged and sat back. "I'm not sure."

"I'll do mine tomorrow." I said, looking a him. "I can donate my hair. It's like a good fifteen inches of hair." I pulled my hair to the front. "I'll go to the salon."

"Gabi, you know you don't have to cut it." He said, looking at me.

I shrugged. "It's just hair. Not having hair means more than having the most beautiful hair, in this circumstance." I licked my lips. "Would I not look beautiful bald?" I smirked at him.

"You would be the most beautiful bald girl." He kissed my hand gently. "Promise."

I squeezed his hand. "I do not want to do this stupid decathlon thing." I sighed.

"It's only a few hours. You said your mom was coming, and then we can go to the hospital and then I'm taking you out for date number two." He grinned at me.

I looked at him, surprised. "Really?"

He nodded. "Yes, you're going to love it."

"I'm excited now." I said, smiling at him. The bell rang and I collected my things. The class trailed out and Troy and I stuck behind. "I'll see you at lunch, our spot." I said, giving him a quick kiss. "Have a nice weekend Mrs. Darbus." I said, walking out of the door.

* * *

**Hello cakepops. Troys' mom is in the hospial, Gabi has some anger issues, Troy cut his hair and got a bj. What do y'all think is going to happen next? Leave me a review, let me know. Here's a little thank you shout outto the people who reviewed the last two chapters, i haven't done one in a while so : Rocklesson86 (Sorry bout your niners, i'm a raider fan.. that explains alot lol), dyeitrouge (sometimes i just say random things lol, like you're cute), NinjaturtleX (I get so happy when you review), hisboo13(x2), mariatyler(x2), nacy017(x2), Bluebell140(x2), pumpkinking5, and loves to read 15. Thank y'all so much. I love you! happy tuesday! Don't forget to review!**


	16. Second

"What the fuck did Troy Bolton do to his hair?" Sharpay asked. She caught me at my locker, it was lunch time. She put her hands on her hips. "It has been bothering me like all day."

"He shaved it off." I said as I closed my locker door.

"Why? He had such beautiful hair." She cried, looking at me.

I sighed. "His mom has cancer." I whispered to her. "That stays between you and me." I said looking at her.

She gasped and covered her mouth. "No way."

"Yeah, it's for support. I'm going to do it too." I said, leaned against the locker.

"What?! No! You can't do that!" She cried. "Your hair is like so gorgeous."

I laughed quietly. "It's just hair Shar. It'll grow back." I licked my lips. "I have to go meet Troy, but I'll talk to you later, okay?"

She sighed, "I'll text you." I watched in amusement as she sauntered off. It was never a dull moment with Sharpay, on of the many things I loved about her.

I made my way into the science wing. I walked up the stairs and onto the rooftop. I took a double take at Troy. His new appearance was going take a while to get used to. I walked over to him and sat next to him. "Hey." I said, kissing his cheek.

"Hey baby." He leaned over and gave me a kiss. "How has your day been?" He asked, wrapping his arms around my waist.

I leaned against him, resting my lunch on my stomach. I started eating. "Sharpay caught me just before I got up here. It was good though." I looked up at him. "What about yours?" I asked, taking a bite of my sandwich.

He took his beanie off my head. "I forgot you had this." He pulled it on over his head and kissed the top of mine. "It was good. I told Darbus and the principal about my mom. Just incase something happens to her, I'm leaving. I don't care if I have permission or not."

"Well that's good that they know." I relaxed against him.

"You nervous about later?" He asked.

"Kinda, I mean. I don't want to fuck everything up." I confessed, taking another bite of my sandwich.

He rubbed my arms and ate his chips at the same time. "You won't fuck anything up babe. You'll kick ass. I'll be right there cheering for you."

I smiled to myself. "I don't know if that makes me more nervous or not." I finished my sandwich and the rest of my lunch. I threw away our trash in the can that was up there. I walked back over to him and sat on his lap.

He wrapped his arms around me. "I love you."

"I love you too." I wrapped my arms around his neck. I leaned down and kissed his lips slowly. I was about to pull away when he pulled me closer. I smiled against his lips and flicked my tongue against his. He tasted salty, probably from the chips he just ate. I held the back of his neck, pushing my hips against his.

His fingers trailed up my dress, holding onto my thigh. "Mmm, so glad you wore a dress." He mumbled against my lips. I smirked, rocking my hips against his slowly. He stroked me over my panties. He pushed them to the side and slid a finger in my core slowly. I pressed my lips more firmly against his. He kept his fingers plunged inside me.

I brushed my tongue along his, rolling it slowly. He thrusted his fingers in and out of me quickly, his thumb pressing down rhythmically against my clit. I moaned against his lips, rocking my hips against his fingers. I pulled my lips away from his. I kept my eyes closed, tossing my head back.

I felt him curl his fingers, brushing against a sensitive spot. He rubbed my clit with his thumb. I could hardly take it. "Fuck." My hips buckled and I started squirming. He wrapped his free arm around my waist to hold me in place. I dug my nails into my shoulders. "Faster." I panted quietly, burying my face into his neck. After a couple more strokes, my walls clenched as the orgasm overtook me.

I finally relaxed my tense body when he slid his fingers out. He replaced my underwear and sucked his fingers clean. He kissed my lips firmly and I climbed off him. I gave him a piece of gum and popped one in my mouth. "I think we missed the bell." Troy said quietly.

"Shit." I said, popping up. "I cannot be late." I leaned over and kissed him. "I'll see you later Troy." I grabbed my bags and walked down the stairs I made a quick pit stop at the bathroom. I made that my excuse for my tardiness, my teacher didn't mind.

* * *

After school was out I had to meet Taylor and the rest of the team in my Chemistry class. We got lab coats and I reluctantly put mine on. Everybody was rushing around to get everything ready and I was sitting at my booth waiting for this thing to be over. Taylor promised I'd be out by at least 5:30, 6 at the latest.

Once everybody Taylor had me go get her laptop from her locker 'to make myself useful.' When I walked back in I saw Troy sitting next to my mom. He checked me out then smirked at me. I gritted my teeth and shook my head at him. I walked over to Taylor and handed her the computer. I sat down on the chair next to her and my phone buzzed from in my pocket. I looked at it.

_"You look sexy in that lab coat. ;)"_ Troy sent me.

I rolled my eyes at my phone. _"Shut the fuck up."_ I replied to him, keeping my phone in my lap.

My eyes met Troy's. He was laughing quietly to himself. My phone buzzed in my lap. _"Can we borrow one of those? You in to role playing? You can spank me with your yardstick, you sexy science teacher."_ I raised my eyebrows, smirking to myself.

_"Goodbye."_ was the only thing I replied back to him. I put my phone on silent and put it in my pocket. I crossed my legs and rubbed my forehead.

"Are you ready Gabi?" Taylor asked me with a grin.

"Sure." I said, dryly.

"I am ready to kick West High's ass. We better win Gabriella. We must win!" She hissed at me.

I made a face at her. "Calm the fuck down. You need a tranquilizer or something?"

"You have one?" She asked then shook her head. "No, I need to focus. We can do this." She started talking to her self and my eyes scanned the room. The judges were making their way in, hopefully I we would start soon.

We started a minute later. We were falling behind and Taylor hadn't put me in yet. I just sat there bored. "Gabi, you're up." Sabrina called out to me.

"Finally." I said getting up. We picked up a card and walked over to the board. Somebody started the time and I worked out the equation quickly on the board. I finished first and hit time. West high was struggling with it. After a couple seconds they finally finished and the judge decided we won. I walked back to my seat.

We ended up victorious. After the match was over the judges wanted to speak with me. They've heard of me and wanted to know my plans for college. I told them I differed leaving early but was still attending Stanford University. My mom and Troy joined into the conversation. Troy wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

After we said goodbye to the judges I slipped off the lab coat, handing it to Taylor who was getting praised. I walked back over to my mom. "Great job baby." She said kissing my forehead. "You surprised a lot of people."

I laughed. "I always do." We made our way out to the car. "Did you tell her our plans?" I asked Troy.

"Yes, he did. I'm going to drop by for a visit with you guys." Mom said.

"I'm going out with Troy tonight so we can drop off your car. I'll drive us over to the hospital and you can drive my car home." I said, looking from Troy to my mom.

"Sounds good." She said. "I'll see you at home." She walked away first, getting into her car.

"I'll see you at the hospital." I said, kissing his lips gently. "I love you."

He kissed the back of my hand before he walked away. "I love you too baby." He winked and walked off toward his truck.

I got in my car and drove home. Mom hopped into my car and I started towards the hospital. "What did your dad send you?" Mom asked.

"A letter and a picture book. It has wedding photos but mostly they're of Aaron." I said. "My brother."

She nodded. "Ah, yes, Aaron. Your dad talks about him a lot, he's quite a bit like you Robert tells me." Mom said. I shrugged my shoulders. "What did the letter say?"

I rolled my eyes. "He just talked in circles. He said he wanted me to be apart of my brother's life. I mean, he's four. What am I going to do? Stop by and say hi on my way to California? It's not like he'll even remember me. I'm not going to spend holiday's with them or anything. I can barely stand to be in the same room with my father." I said, letting out an annoyed breath.

My mom didn't reply, she just shook her head. I parked next to Troy's truck and grabbed my purse. I handed my mom my keys as we made our way up to Lucy's room. We walked in and Lucy was sitting with a pink scarf wrapped around her head. "Hey Marie, Gabi!" She smiled brightly.

"Hey Lucy, you look like you're feeling better" I noted, giving her a hug before walking over to Troy.

"I feel much better. I get to go home on Sunday." She said, giving my mom a hug.

"Hey Jack." I said, noticing him sitting in the corner. "How do you like Troy's new do?"

Him and Lucy looked at me confused. "Gabi-" Troy started, I pulled his beanie off. Lucy gasped. "…I didn't tell them yet." He finished, sighing.

"Oops." I said wincing.

"What the hell did you do to your hair Troy Michael Bolton?!" Lucy yelled, looking at him.

Troy gave her a weak smile. "For support. You're not alone." He said kissing her forehead. She ran her fingers along his head.

She sighed. "I guess it's just hair."

I pulled his beanie back on and kissed his lips. I frowned. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." He said, placing a kiss on my nose. He sat and I sat on his lap, cuddling against him. We watched our parents talk. I crossed my legs and he held onto my thigh. "I'm ready whenever you are baby." He said, kissing the back of my neck.

"Okay." I said looking at him. I climbed off his lap. "Let's go."

Troy got up. "Gabi and I are going to go out. Do you want her home at any specific time Marie?" He asked my mom. She shook her head. "Well be back at a decent time. I'll text you dad."

Jack nodded. "I'll probably be here all night."

"I'll see you later Luce." I said, hugging her tightly. I walked over to Jack, giving him a hug too. "I'll see you later mom."

"Bye baby." Mom said. "See you later."

Troy and I walked out of the room. We walked down to his truck. I moved a pair of jeans that were sitting on the seat. I held them up. "Who's are these?" I asked.

"Yours. You might want to change into them now." Troy said. I shrugged and kicked my Vans off. I put my jeans on under my dress. I buttoned them and sat back down, putting my Vans back on. I shrugged off my leather jacket and took off my dress. I still had a camisole underneath. I zipped my jacket up and folded my dress, placing it on the seat. "Perfect."

I put my seatbelt on and Troy started driving. "Where are we going?"

"Gabi, I'm not going to tell you." He said, laughing.

"You suck." I said, sitting back in my seat. I pulled out my phone and flicked through the messages Troy sent me. I laughed quietly. "You are such a pervert."

Troy glanced over at me. "You know you like it when I talk dirty to you." He said, smirking.

I laughed again, rolling my eyes. "Love it babe." I said dryly.

We parked in front of a building and he kissed my ear. "It's so sexy when you use pet names."

"Where are we?" I asked again, ignoring him.

"You'll see, come on." I grabbed my purse and we hopped out of the truck. I held his hand as we walked into the building. All I heard was buzzing.

I smirked at Troy. "Go-karts? Are you serious?" I asked. He nodded, grinning. "You are so getting your ass beat." I said , smirking at him.

We walked over to the counter and we filled out some paperwork. We paid and we walked into a holding room. I put my purse into a locker and we got dressed in jumpsuits as we watched a safety video. After we were done we grabbed helmets and walked onto the track. The place was pretty empty for a Friday night.

I put my hair up and I pulled my helmet on before the worker helped me into the car. I buckled the seatbelt and I looked back at Troy. He was getting into the car behind me. The guy started my car and I pulled up to the starting gate. Before I knew it Troy gently bumped into me from behind. The light turned green and I pressed on the gas. I started driving through the course.

There was no bumping but Troy cheated in the third lap. He gently ran me into the tire border. I cursed as I turned out and tried to catch up to him. We were on the fifth and final lap. I was just about to pass him but he crossed the finish line first. We pulled in and I sighed. I unbuckled my seatbelt and I got up. Troy did the same.

He came over and took off his helmet. "I won." He said with the biggest smirk.

I shook my head at him and pulled my helmet off. "You are the biggest fucking cheater I've ever met." I said looking at him.

He scoffed. "I am not a cheater!"

I pushed him slightly and handed him my helmet. "You are a cheater." I said walking back to the room.

"You're a sore loser Gabi." He said smirking.

I smiled and shook my head. "Shut up Troy." I unzipped my suit and put it on the hanger. I walked over to my locker and I pulled my jacket on. I put my purse on my shoulder. I looked at Troy who was struggling to get his suit off with his shoes on. He fell over and I burst out laughing. I helped him out and he got up.

He wrapped his arms around me and gave me a quick kiss before he put his suit back on the hanger and back on the rack. We walked out of the building and back to his truck. "I'm going to make you something." He said, turning the truck on.

"Like food?" I asked confused. He nodded, proudly. "Am I going to die?"

He rolled his eyes. "No." He drove back to his house, parking his truck in the driveway. I climbed out of the truck. "My parents taught me how to cook baby, don't worry." He kissed my lips quickly.

I followed him inside and we went into the kitchen. "What are you making?" I asked, watching him.

"Spaghetti." He said smiling at me. "Do you want to change into something more comfortable?"

I nodded. "I'll go do that." I made my way up the stairs. I opened the first drawer in the dresser, it was full of my clothes. I smiled to myself. I let down my hair before I took off my jeans and folded them, putting them in that drawer. I looked through a couple more drawers. I grabbed a pair of boxers and pulled them on, folding over the elastic.

I walked back down stairs and watched him cook. I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around him. He mixed the sauce and set the spoon down. He turned around and kissed my lips slowly. "Hey beautiful."

"Hi." I smiled up at him. I kissed his chest and looked up at him.

"You're so amazing." He moved a piece of hair behind my ear. "You totally kicked that dudes ass at your math thing. You're so smart it's sexy." He mumbled kissing my lips firmly.

I smiled at him. "You're a cheater, but I still love you." I kissed his lips. "I'm going to watch TV, don't burn my dinner."

Troy laughed as I walked away from him. "I don't know you probably jinxed it."

I walked into the living room and I turned on the TV. I laid on my stomach on the couch and watched the screen. I flipped through channels. I kicked my feet, back and forth as I stopped on some random channel. I was immersed in an infomercial. My stomach growling broke me away from my concentration. Something smelled good. I turned off the TV and walked into the kitchen.

"Something smells good." I said, watching him set the table.

"It's done, I was just about to go get you." He said, smiling at me.

"I'm starving." I said, walking over to the table. I sat down and he set a plate of spaghetti in front of me. He set a bigger plate of spaghetti in front of him. He turned off the stove and sat down next to me. "Thank you Troy." I said, kissing his cheek.

"You're welcome baby." He said, kissing my lips quickly.

We ate and talked about random things. Once we were done, we put the leftovers away. We cleaned up the kitchen and headed upstairs. Troy was getting ready for bed and I was looking at the pictures in his room. I never really looked at them. I was looking at a picture of Troy and another little boy. He wrapped his arms around me from behind.

"That is my cousin Eddie, from my moms side. Her brother, my uncle's son. Last time I saw him he was a total asshole, but that was when we were like 14." Troy said. "My dad has two brothers, they just have girls on his side. So I'm the very spoiled, token boy."

I laughed quietly. "You are spoiled, aren't you?" I asked, rubbing his chest. "It's okay, my mom spoils me too. I'm her only baby so she lets me get away with way more than I should. She doesn't have any siblings and my grandparents died pretty young. My dad has a sister but she was always a raging bitch so I don't talk to her." I explained as we walked over to the bed. I sat on it. "His parents live in the cuts of Mexico, I haven't seen them, like ever."

"Crazy." Troy said, laying with me.

"I wish I had legit grandparents, but I guess I'll just be like the coolest grandma ever." I said laughing.

"Grandma Gabi, that will be a sight to see." Troy teased, pulling me down to lay with him.

"I want a big family. Since it's always just been me and my mom. I want a big one." I said quietly.

Troy kissed behind my ear gently. "Me too." He murmured quietly. I cuddled against him as my mind wandered.

* * *

**Rocklesson86: oh lol, my bad.**  
**NinjaturtleX: LOL i'll try not to :)**

**Don't forget to review.**


	17. Mall

I woke up to Troy smacking my back. I pushed myself up to look at him. He was fast asleep. He must have just rolled over. I closed my eyes and I felt him pull me closer to him. I cuddled against him and opened my eyes. His cheek was getting squished by the pillow he was laying on. His mouth was parted, his head was covered in a beanie. I gently pulled the beanie off and Troy didn't stir.

I watched him as he slept. "Troy" I whispered quietly.

"Mmm, Gabi." He moaned in his sleep.

I smirked to myself, I decided to have a little fun with him. "Oh, Troy. Faster." I said into his ear.

He grunted, rolling onto his back. The tent was evident in his boxers. I reached in and stroked him slowly. I kissed his chest, watching him. I started stroking a little faster. His eyes popped open. He looked at me. "Oh fuck Gabi." He laid his head back, closing his eyes. I laughed to myself and slid my hand out of his boxers. "What? I didn't say stop."

I laughed. "That's what you get for waking me up with your flailing limbs." I leaned over and kissed his lips. "You want pancakes?" I called out.

"Okay, I'm going to go take a shower." He said.

"You gonna…" I made a jerking off motion.

He laughed. "Maybe. Why?"

I shrugged. "I kinda want to watch." I said smirking. I turned and walked out of the door. I got to the stairs and heard the shower turn on. I turned back around and walked into Troy's bathroom. "Pancakes can wait."

Troy turned to me before he got into the shower. He stood under the water, looking at me. "Are you going to get in?" He asked, his eyes drifting down my body.

"I'm thinking about it." I said, I pulled my camisole over my head. I tossed it on the floor. "Do you want me to get in the shower with you?" I started pulling down the boxers I was wearing.

"Yeah." He said, watching me undress. He leaned back against the shower wall, his blue eyes bore into mine. I smirked at him.

"What were you dreaming about?" I asked, reaching back to unhook my bra.

"You" Troy said shortly, his hand slowly drifting down his abs.

The bra unhooked but I kept it pressed against my chest. "What about me?" I asked, standing there with my hands over my chest.

"We were on the roof. You were laying, naked on the bench in some black heels." He smirked. "You let me come in your mouth."

I licked my lips, watching as he grasped himself. He pumped slowly. "I don't know about the last part but I can definitely make that happen." I dropped my bra. "What else?"

My hands moved down to the motions he was making. He squeezed the tip of his penis before moving his hand to the base. "You made me tie your hands behind your back. You're really kinky in my dreams." Troy noted.

I smirked. "Apparently." I slid my panties down my legs and stepped out of them. "I'm not going to touch you, I'm just going to watch." I stepped into the shower and I moved under the shower head. I ran my hands along my body.

He let out a sigh as he pumped himself. I lathered some shampoo in my hair, I scrubbed my scalp. I turned my back toward him and rinsed my hair. I turned back around to face him. His head was leaned against the wall as he stroked himself. I watched him, biting my lip. I leaned over and kissed his lips quickly.

I grabbed his conditioner and his eyes darkened. He grabbed my waist and leaned me up against he wall. He smashed his lips onto mine. I dropped the conditioner and wrapped my arm around his neck. He shoved his tongue in my mouth, his erection was pressing up against my stomach. I moaned quietly into his mouth, he squeezed my hips, pulling me closer to him.

I smirked at him and pushed him away. "Go finish what you started, I have to finish washing my hair." I picked up his conditioner again and smoothed it in my hair. I rinsed my hair at and Troy was still going at it. "Does it usually take you this long?" I raised my eyebrows.

"You're so distracting." He said, looking at me.

I laughed. "What do you want me to do? Shake my ass and moan?"

He smirked. "Kinda."

I turned around and shook my ass. "Happy?" I turned my head and looked at him. I pushed my butt up against him and bounced off him.

Troy let out a breath. "I'm this close to sticking it in you."

I stood up and turned around. "No sex until the third date." I dropped down to my knees and smacked his hands away from him. I grabbed a hold of him and stroked him quickly. I wrapped my lips around the tip, sucking lightly, swirling my tongue around him. I tightened my grip on him, stroking faster. It only took a little while for him to release. He came on my chest. I stood up and washed it off me.

I washed my body and rinsed. I got out and wrapped a towel around me. I looked through my drawer of stuff. I put on a pair of panties and a bra. I looked through the drawer. I grabbed a pair of leggings I didn't even know were here and I pulled them on. I walked over to Troy's closet and put on one of his button ups.

Troy came out in a towel. He leaned over to pick out some boxers. I wrapped my arms around him. I kissed his back slowly. I ran my tongue along his back, collecting droplets of water. He dropped his towel and pulled his boxers on. I picked up his towel and put it on his bald head. "You seem glum today." I said, kissing his lips slowly.

"I'm not. I'm tired, I don't get up before noon on the weekends usually." He leaned down and kissed my lips. "You need to stop stealing my shirts."

I shook my head. "Not gonna happen, but nice try." I smiled at him and gave him another kiss. "So Pancakes?"

He nodded his head. "I'll help you when I get dressed."

"Okay." I wiped my damp hands on his towel before I walked down the stairs. I looked through his cabinets. I put a pan on the stove and started mixing ingredients in a bowl. I let the pan heat up before I poured the batter in. I skipped over to the fridge, pulling out the butter. I flipped over the pancake. I hummed to myself as I put it on a plate. I started on the next one.

I felt Troy's arms wrap around me. He kissed my neck. "Hey baby." He said, nuzzling his nose into my neck.

"Hey," I said leaned my head against him. I flipped over the pancake. "How many do you want? I'm only going to eat one, maybe."

"A couple." He mumbled, suckling on my neck. "Do you know how perfect you are?"

I raised my eyebrow, putting the pancake on top of the other one. "Perfect? I've never got that one before. I got bitch, slut, whore, cute, sexy, beautiful, crazy stupid bitch.. That was a good one… What else? Freaky math girl.. That was a fun one too. Weird, rude, mean… never perfect. This is all new to me."

Troy laughed, rolling his eyes. "Oh, shut up Gabi." He kissed my cheek, pulling away from me.

"I'm serious." I said, making another pancake. I flipped it and put it on the plate when it was done. I handed him the plate. "Here, you go." I made one more and put bowl in the sink. I finished up mine and sat down next to Troy. I ate my pancake and I washed the dishes and put them away.

"What time are we meeting Sharpay?" He asked, looking over at me.

"Um, about 10 I think. But we're getting our nails done first so you guys don't have to meet us until like noon. We can go out for lunch." I looked over at him "You can come with me if you want? You can get a manicure" I said smirking.

"I'll probably meet up with you when you're done." He said walking over to me. "You gotta leave soon, it's 9:30." He said.

"I should get going now. I gotta get some stuff from my house." I walked past him and up the stairs. I grabbed my purse and my phone and walked back down stairs. Troy was sitting on the couch. "I'll call you when we're done, alright?"

"Okay, I'll see you at the mall. I love you." He sat up and kissed me.

I kissed him back quickly, pecking him a couple times. "I love you too, see you later." I waved to him as I walked out of the door. I walked home and brushed my hair quickly. I called Sharpay and we were going to her nail lady. I met up with her at the salon and I walked in.

"Hey girl!" She said, giving me a quick hug. "No Pedi?" She asked, frowning at my Vans.

I shook my head. "Nah, my toes are fine." We got seated in our seats. "What's new?" I asked, looking over at her.

"Nothing. I'm like so bored. I'm totes excited to go study abroad in Paris one day." She said, watching her nail lady carefully.

"I'm sure college will broaden your horizons." I said, licking my lips. "I'm looking forward to college. Go party a little. I've softened up a bit with new people so I think I will be fine." I bit my bottom lip.

She sighed. "At least you're decided. I have no idea. I was thinking about moving to New York, doing the whole 'Rachel Berry from Glee' thing but I'm not sure anymore. I'd be a phenom performer but fashion really peaked my interest lately."

I shrugged. "You can do whatever you want Sharpay. You're 18, you don't really have to decide now."

Sharpay nodded. "I know, I'll guess I'll explore my options." She popped her lips. "How are you and Troy?"

"We're fine." I said. "I told him to court me." I laughed at how ridiculous that sounded. "So he's taking me on dates before we have sex again."

She laughed. "Really? What's it like?"

"What is what like?" I asked, looking at her.

"Being courted?"

"I actually really like it. I mean we've moved pretty quickly. It's nice to like slow down and just like get to know each other more. It's nice to do stuff too not just like in the bedroom." I said. "He took me to laser tag and go karts."

She shook her head. "You guys are like perfect for each other."

I smiled to myself. "We're something."

* * *

After we got our nails done we went to the mall and met up with the boys. I saw Taylor, standing with Chad, Zeke and Troy. I looked over at Sharpay and she looked over a me confused. "What's Taylor doing here?" She whispered.

"We invited her remember?" I said, looking at her.

"You invited her." She said, looking at me.

I rolled my eyes. "Well be nice and focus on Zeke okay? Don't freak him out. Tone it down and you'll be fine." We approached them. "Hey guys, hey Taylor." I wrapped my arms around Troy giving him a kiss.

"Hey." Sharpay said, standing awkwardly in between me and Zeke. "Hi Zeke."

"Hey Sharpay." He grinned at her.

"Hey beautiful." Troy said kissing my ear. "How was the salon?"

"Good." I held up my nails. "Do you like?"

He looked at my French tipped manicure. "Very pretty." He said, laughing. "Where are we off to?" Troy asked the group.

"Taylor, do you want to go look at purses with me and Gabi?" Sharpay said. I think she surprised all of us, including Taylor.

"Uh, Yeah, sure." Taylor said, looking at us.

I pulled away from Troy and walked in between Taylor and Sharpay. "I have a weakness for purses. I get it from my mom. I go through so many." I confessed to break the ice.

"Me too." Taylor said. "But I'm more so with shoes."

Sharpay nodded. "You always did have great shoes."

We made small talk as we walked in the purse store. I let Sharpay and Taylor go on their own. I walked over to Troy who was sitting on the couch with the boys. "Does your mom like purses?" I asked, looking at him.

"Likes? More like obsessed." Troy said, looking at me.

"Really?" I smiled. "I think we should make her a care package, for when she goes to the hospital. She can look fabulous even if she's sick. We can get her a purse and maybe some scarves." I said, shrugging.

He just grinned at me. "Sure baby." He kissed my forehead. "Shop for you not my mom." He said chuckling.

"Alright." I said walking away. I caught up with the girls and found a cute purse. We bought our things and moved on to the next store. I looked around the men's department, looking for stuff for Troy. I found a couple things I thought would look good on him.

"What's all this?" He asked me. I jumped and turned to face him.

"I'm looking at stuff for you." I said, handing him the pile of clothes on my arm. "We can look for stuff for me now." I smiled and dragged him over to the women's section. Zeke and Sharpay were talking. They were laughing. This was good.

We looked around the section and Troy was picking out stuff for me to wear. I was distractedly watching Zeke and Sharpay. "Okay. We're ready." Troy said, handing me the hangers in his hand for me.

"Let's go try stuff on." I said. I walked into a dressing room. I saw a highlighter yellow sun dress. I made a face. "What the hell is this?" I asked to Troy who was in the room next to me.

"Just put it on Gabriella."

I sighed and put the dress on. I walked out of the dressing room and looked at Troy. "You look good." I said looking at him.

"That's cute." He said grinning at me.

"I look like a highlighter." I said blankly. "I'm going to change." I turned back into the dressing room. "Floral fucking pants. Really Troy?" I heard him snickering. I put them on along with a tank he picked out. It was a cute top. I just looked stupid in floral pants.

"What is with all the plaid?" Troy asked when he came out.

"You look sexy in plaid." I said smirking. "I want to set these pants on fire."

Troy laughed and walked away. I walked back inside and I changed into a very short high waist skirt Troy picked out for me I tucked the tank I was wearing into it. We showed each other the last couple of outfits and picked out the ones we liked. We bought our clothes and walked through the rest of the mall. Troy was carrying all my bags, like a champ. Sharpay did something to Zeke because he was following her around like a lost puppy. I hadn't seen Taylor and Chad since they left to 'go get something to drink.' My guess was they were boinking in the bathroom.

Troy was exhausted, sitting on the bench. He was calling Chad. We were about to go get something to eat. I sat next to Troy, leaning against him. I watched the people walking by. He hung up his phone.

"He and Taylor are in the As Seen on TV store." Troy said.

I laughed. "Don't make me go in there, I'll buy everything."

"We lost Zeke and Sharpay."

"Did you bring your truck?" Troy shook his head, no. "I'll call Sharpay and we'll go to the pizza place now. If they want to come hang out then they can meet us there." I offered.

"That sounds good." He said, looking at me.

"Come on, let's take my bags to my car." I got up, pushing off of his leg. He grabbed all my bags and I called Sharpay. "Hey, Troy and I are leaving. You can meet up with us if you want." I said, holding onto Troy's back pocket.

"Um, I'll ask Zeke what he wants to do." She said. I unlocked the car and he put all the bags in the trunk. I waited for Sharpay to start talking again. "I'm going to take Zeke to Sushi. Maybe next time though."

I smirked to myself. "Alright, well have fun." I hung up and laughed.

"What?"

"Shar is going to take him to Sushi." Troy made a face. "Should we even call Chad? Do you even want pizza?"

"Not really." Troy said laughing. "To either of them."

"I'd kill for some pizza rolls." I said, getting in the car. Troy closed the trunk and got in. "What do you want to do?" I asked, looking at him.

"I don't care." He looked over at me. "We can go eat and I'll probably go see my mom."

"I have a paper to write that's due in a couple weeks so I'll probably go home." I said, looking over at him.

"You could come with me, if you want." Troy said.

I shook my head. "I'm sick of you. I need some Gabi time." I joked. He laughed and elbowed me in the ribs. I smacked his chest. He punched my leg. I punched his leg back. He smacked my boob and I swung for his balls but he caught my hand. "No abusing the driver." I said pulling my arm back. I started the car and I flicked him.

"Be nice to the passenger." He argued. He reached over and gave my thigh a squeeze.

"Troy Bolton." I warned, backing my car out of the parking lot. "When I drive past your house you're going to jump out. Tuck and roll, okay?"

He scoffed. "Yeah right."

"I'm serious. Do it, I'll give you 10 bucks."

"I'm not doing it." He said, crossing his arms.

"Pussy."

Troy's head whipped over to me. "What did you just call me?"

I smirked. "You heard me right. I called you a pussy…. Pussy."

"That's it!" He tried to tickle me but I smacked his hands away.

"Do you want to die? Do you want me to kill us?" I said, holding onto his wrist tightly. "Try that again I will strip you down butt naked, tie you to your bed and leave you there until your dad gets home."

Troy burst out laughing. "You wouldn't do that to me."

"I would, if you pissed me off enough." I said, releasing his wrist and putting both hands on the wheels.

He leaned over and kissed my neck. "Wanna have sex?"

"Troy, I've given you like four BJ's in the last week. Come on now."

"So. I miss being inside of you." He said, kissing my neck again.

"You were inside of my mouth this morning." I said blankly. "If you keep bothering me, I'll move back our sex date."

He sighed dramatically. "You're an evil woman."

I grinned at him. "I know." I reached over and squeezed him over his jeans. "That's why you love me." I turned down our street. "Are you ready to jump out?"

"Gabi, I'm not jumping out." I unlocked the door. "Seriously Gab-" I stopped in front of his house. "Thank you." He said, un buckling his seatbelt. He unbuckled his seatbelt. "Come over if you get bored."

"Mhm."

He opened the door and I took my foot off the break. The car started rolling. "Gabi!"

I laughed. "Calm down, grumpy ass." He shifted my car into park and he shut the door. I looked at him, confused.

"Did I ever show you my back yard?" He asked suddenly.

I laughed again. "No, your bedroom is the furthest I've made it."

He nodded. "Okay." He leaned over and kissed my lips gently. "I'll see you later."

"Alright, you can come over too. You know, if you're bored." I said, looking over at him.

He leaned in and kissed me again. "I love you."

"And I love you." I replied, kissing the corner of his mouth. I watched as he climbed out of the car. I drove down to my house and backed into the drive way. I dragged all my bags upstairs, only making one trip. I cleaned up my room, cleaning out clothes that I never really wore. I made a Troy drawer, putting the clothes we bought in there.

* * *

**Just a little something for the weekend. Don't forget to review.**


	18. Bald

I started and finished my paper, I made myself dinner and now I was sitting in my bed. I was enjoying the quiet and being by myself. I wanted to go to Troy's but I felt like I was smothering him. He needed space too. I slumped down in my bed and focused back on the book I was reading. I was still thinking about cutting my hair. I haven't cut my hair since I was thirteen. I trimmed it when necessary but I haven't cut it in a long time. I put my book down and picked up my computer. I decided to do some research. I wanted to donate my hair. I decided I wanted to, I was going to cut my hair tomorrow morning.

When I got up the next morning, I took a shower and didn't bother to dry my hair. I drove myself over to a salon. I told them what I wanted to do and they cut a good fifteen inches off my hair. They used the electric clippers to shave the rest off. Once I was completely bald I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked weird but I bet that's how Lucy felt too. I paid and pulled on a beanie that covered my ears. I drove back home and changed into running clothes.

I put some sunglasses on and took my beanie off. I ran my usual route, to the park and back. My head was starting to turn the same color as the rest of my skin. I ran my fingers over my scalp. My head looked bigger than it did with hair. I had my hair that they cut off in a bag. I ran down to the post office and I sent it to the company that makes wigs for children with cancer.

I pulled my beanie down and hopped back into my car. My phone rang as I put my seatbelt on. "Hello?" I answered, putting the key in the ignition.

"Hey baby, what are you doing?" Troy asked.

"I just got done at the post office, what's up?"

"Mom just got home, she was wondering if you wanted to come over." Troy said. "She wanted some cookies."

I laughed. "Yeah, I'll come over. She didn't want cookies, you did."

Troy laughed. "My dad does actually."

"Alright, I'll be there in a minute." I said, licking my lips. "I love you, bye."

"Bye" He said before he hung up.

I made a pit stop at the grocery store, grabbing a couple of things. I felt bad for using all of their ingredients. I parked at my house and carried my bags to Troy's. I kept my beanie on my head, the strings tied under my chin, my sunglasses on still. I rang the doorbell with my elbow.

Jack answered the door. "Hey Gabi, let me help." He took a bag. "Come in."

"Thank you. Hey Luce." I said, as I walked by her, putting my stuff in the kitchen.

"Hey Gabi!" She called after me.

Jack followed me into the kitchen. "What's all this?" He asked, setting it down.

"Troy said you wanted cookies." I said, taking off my glasses, putting them in my purse.

"More like Troy wanted cookies." Jack said laughing.

I shrugged. "I figured. I just thought I'd get some stuff. Is Troy upstairs?"

"Yeah. Go on up." He said.

I walked up stairs and over to Troy's room. I walked right in. Troy was naked, his butt towards the door. "Hot." I said, smirking at him. I closed the door behind me quickly.

"Hey" Troy said, pulling his boxers on. "Just got out of the shower." He explained.

I nodded and laid on his bed. "I'm bored. I've gotten so used to having you around. It feels weird without you."

He chuckled, getting dressed. "I'm sorry." He said, looking at me. He crawled on the bed and leaned down to kiss me.

"I've gotten too attached." I mumbled into the kiss.

"Well I'm not going anywhere." He said, pressing another kiss against my lips.

"I got you a surprise." I said, sitting up.

He sat up as well. "What is it?"

"Close your eyes." I instructed. He closed his eyes. "How many fingers am I holding up?" I held up a finger.

"Gabi, I don't know." He said, laughing.

I pulled off my beanie. I ran my hand along my bald head. "Okay open." I bit my lip. I wasn't sure how he was going to react.

He opened his eyes and stared at me for a moment. He blinked rubbing his eyes. He looked at me again and reached over. He grabbed my head, feeling it. "Holy FUCK, Gabi." He said breathlessly. "Wha- Wha-" He shut his mouth. He dropped his hands down.

I picked up the beanie and put it back on. "I told you I was going to do it." I said, laying back down. He just looked at me. "I totally look like an alien, but I donated 15 inches of hair. I think it'll turn into a cute pixie in a couple months."

"I can't believe you shaved your head." He finally said.

"You know I don't say anything I don't mean." I said. It was starting to get on my nerves. "What? You don't like it? You want a girlfriend with hair?" I got up, rolling my eyes. "I'm going to go make you some fucking cookies." I pulled the beanie off and threw it at him.

I walked down the stairs and into the empty kitchen. "Why are you getting mad at me?" Troy asked, following me into the kitchen.

"Because you never say how you feel. You always talk around me. Tell me how you feel. Tell me if you hate it. I'm a big girl, you won't hurt my feelings. I just want you to be honest with me." I said, opening the bags on the counter, pulling the stuff out. "That's all I want."

"Well if you actually gave me a minute to say something, I will." He argued.

"Well go ahead and say something then!" I said, turning around. "Go."

He sighed, looking at me. "I don't care if you shaved your head. I'm not in love with your hair. It just shocked me for a minute and I was getting used to it. I love your hot-headed, stubborn, and now bald self. Now calm the fuck down and let me help you make some cookies."

I huffed out a breath and nodded silently. I turned back to the cabinet and pulled down a bowl. I measured all my ingredients and poured them into the bowl. "Preheat the oven to 375" I said quietly.

"Okay." He did as I told him. He hopped up on the counter and watched me. I mixed the chocolate chips into the batter. "Do you need a cookie sheet?"

"I got it." I said, pulling it out of the lower cabinet. I got some parchment and lined the sheet. I scooped the dough onto the sheet. I washed my hands and put the sheet in the oven and took a quick look at the time.

"Are you still mad at me?" Troy asked.

"No." I said, looking over at him.

Troy held his arms out. "Come here." I walked over to him and stood in between his legs. He wrapped his arms around me. He kissed my bald head and looked at me. "I love you."

"I love you too." I leaned up to kiss him. He captured my lips in a soft kiss. I pulled him off the counter so he was a little closer to me. He placed his hands on my waist. I pressed my palms to his chest, leaning against him.

"Hey Tr- AH!" Jack let out a yell that cut off his sentence. "Gabi is here!" Jack hissed, thinking I was someone else. I turned around. "Ah!" He held his hand over his heart. He turned around and walked out the room and walked back in. "I just had the weirdest- It was real. You're bald! Why is everybody going bald?"

"Dad, relax. I'm sure your blood pressure is sky rocketing." Troy chuckled, resting his arms on my shoulders. "She did it for mom."

Jack put his fingers on his forehead, looking at us. "You guys look like The Coneheads."

"The what?" Troy asked confused.

Jack shook his head. "It's a movie from the 90's. I'll show it to you someday." He started chuckling again and walked out of the room.

"He is so weird." Troy said.

I turn back to face him. "That's where you get it from." I grinned at him.

"Ha Ha." He laughed sarcastically. He held my hips. I leaned over and kissed his lips. He pulled away and looked up. "Mom, what are you doing off the couch?"

I turned around. "I had to see it for myself." Lucy said, looking over at us. She sighed. "Oh Gabi." She walked over to me and wrapped her arms around me tightly. "You're such a sweet girl." She stroked the back of my head.

"It's always been my mom and me. I've been closed off for so many years. I decided I need to open up and let people in. I love you guys just as much as I love Troy." I said quietly.

"I love you too sweetheart." She said pulling away. She kissed my forehead before walking out of the room, sniffling.

Troy smiled at me. 'You're the first girl that made my mom cry." I smacked his chest. "Ow!" He said, rubbing where I smacked him. "I meant that in a good way." He leaned in to kiss me.

"I know you did. I have to take the cookies out." I pulled away from him and took the cookies out. I put the second batch in and put the bowl in the sink.

"Leave it, I'll wash it later." Troy said, wrapping his arms around me from behind.

I shrugged. "It's fine, I'll do it now."

He sighed. "Gabi, relax for once."

I laughed. "I'm relaxed all the time" I washed my hands and dried them. "I'll listen to you for now, you better wash them though."

Troy rolled his eyes. "I will, I will." We made out for a couple minutes until the cookies were done. I took them out and left them on the counter. I turned off the oven and walked up the stairs, grinning devilishly at Troy. I ran up the rest of the stairs and ran into his room, closing the door. I laid down in his bed and waited for him.

He walked into the room and closed the door behind him, locking it. He jumped on top of me on the bed. He leaned down and kissed my lips firmly. I moved my hands under his shirt, running my hands up and down his amazing back. Troy's tongue brushed against mine. He suddenly pulled away from me.

"What's wrong?" I asked, looking over at him.

"I didn't remember if you took the cookies out of the oven or not... but you did." He said. I laughed quietly. I cuddled up to him. He was quiet.

I rubbed his stomach slowly. "What's on your mind?"

"I want to go on a big road trip. Me, you, Chad maybe. We can just drive across America, up the East Coast, up to New York. That would be fun." He said quietly.

"Let's do it. I'm so down." I said, looking over at him.

He grinned. "Seriously?" I nodded. He leaned over and attacked my face with kisses. "I love you so much."

I laughed, pushing his face away from me. "I love you too Troy."

"When do you have to start training again?" He asked, wrapping his arms around me.

"Monday. I have a match on Saturday in New York. I think Shane is flying down here too, to push me harder, so he says. We talked this morning." I said, leaning my head against him. "I think I'm only going to see you at school."

"Valentine's day is coming up." He said rubbing my arm. "Do you have a fight on Valentines day?"

"Isn't it like on a Thursday?" I asked, looking at him. He shrugged. "I think it is, so no."

"What about the weekend after?" He asked, running his fingers along my scalp.

"I'll have to check." I said, closing my eyes. His fingers felt good, massaging my head.

"When do you get back from New York?" He asked quietly.

"Sunday night." I said, sleepily.

He kissed the top of my head. "Alright… You know Sharpay is going to kill you right?"

I shrugged. "She won't kill me, I'm a boxer."

He chuckled. "You know what I mean baby."

"She can't really do anything about it, except buy me a wig." I laughed. "God, she probably will." Wigs could come into good use. I smirked to myself.

"What is that face for?" Troy asked, interrupting my thoughts.

I sighed in content. "Just thinking about sex." I said, looking up at his ceiling. "I think I'm going to buy a mirror for my ceiling. I've always wanted one."

"So you can look at my ass while we make love?" Troy said, smirking.

"Troy, we fucked. We haven't made love yet." I said quietly, turning to my side.

"Which do you prefer?" He asked, running his finger up my back slowly.

"I'll let you know." I said, looking at him.

There was a knock on the door. Troy got up and unlocked the door, opening it. "Are you going to stay for dinner Gabi?" Jack asked.

"Sure." I said, propping myself up on my elbows.

"We're having salmon." He said.

"That's fine." I said, looking at the Bolton men.

He walked away and Troy left his door open, walking over to his bed. He laid on top of me and sighed. "I can't wait to go to college."

"How come?"

"Get out of Albuquerque, get a job, do something with my life." He said, putting his hands on my boobs. "I'll be close to you still. You'll find a medical student at Stanford who will make all our dreams come true." He said, looking up at me. "I'll just be playing basketball."

I licked my lips. "I don't think that will be true."

"It's okay, if it does. I'd do anything, just to make you happy."

I sighed. "That's what scares me."

He looked confused. "Why?"

"If I want to be happy with somebody else, then you're not happy. I don't want you to be unhappy." I said.

Troy was quiet. "Do you remember like the second day we met? You told me that I always try to get people to like me?" I nodded. "You do the same thing. Except you have this constant need to help people, or make them happy."

"That's not entirely true." I said.

He chuckled. "With the exception of your dad."

"I still hate him." I said, looking at Troy. "How is it that I still hate him but I want to go to Aaron's birthday? How is it that I know once I get there, I'll probably blow up like I did last time?"

He rubbed my side slowly. "Because you're amazing. You don't want to let Aaron down like your dad let you down. He's going to be the age that your father left you. You love him because he's your brother." I sighed. Damn it, he was right. "I'll go with you."

"I know you will." I said, leaning my head against him.

* * *

It was Monday again. I went to school, got stared at, ate lunch with Troy, and now I'm in my final period of the day. I got a bunch of weird looks because I shaved my head. People thought I was going through a Britney of 2007, I didn't really care though. I had to pick Shane up from the airport. I wouldn't get to see Troy a lot this week, unless he worked out with us. Mom got Shane's room ready last night when I was at Troy's. I walked to my locker after the bell rang. I collected what I needed and I felt two arms wrap around me.

"Hey beautiful." Troy murmured in my ear.

"Hey" I turned around and I kissed him. "You going to play Basketball with Chad today?"

"Yep, Will you run by the park?" He asked, holding my waist.

I nodded. "I'll make sure of it. I have to go pick up Shane though. I'll see you soon." I kissed his lips quickly. "I love you."

"I love you too." He pulled me back kissing me slowly. He let me go and had a lazy grin on his face. I smiled as I walked away from him.

I walked out the doors. I rubbed my head as I walked to my car. I looked up and saw somebody leaning against it. A big smile broke out on my face when I realized who it was. I ran over to Shane and threw my arms around him.

"Hey Gabi." He said, hugging me tightly. "I like the new look, it's edgy almost."

I laughed, pressing my cheek against his chest. "I missed you."

"And I missed you too. I took a cab here from the airport, so let's head on home." He said.

"Of course." I said, unlocking my car. I popped the trunk and he put his luggage in there. I put my stuff in the back and got in. "I'm so glad you're here." I admitted, looking at him. "My week off was good but I feel so sludgy right now."

Shane grinned. "I'm going to kick your ass today."

I groaned. "Great."

He chuckled. "Hey, you said it." We caught up as I drove home. I showed him where his room was on the way to mine. I put my stuff down and changed into work out clothes. I walked down stairs and met Shane in the door way. "Are we going your normal route?"

"Yep." I said, stretching my legs. "I run to the park and back." I looked over at him.

"Lead the way." He said, holding his arm out.

I started running, he caught up to me quickly and we ran quietly all the way to the park. Once we got to the basketball courts we stopped for a minute, catching our breath. Troy and Chad walked over to us.

"Hey Gabster." Chad greeted.

"Hey Chad, this is my trainer, Shane. Shane this is Troy's best friend Chad." I said, introducing them.

"Hey man." Shane said. He shook Troy's hand. "You guys playing ball?" He asked, motioning to the basketball.

"They just won a championship." I said, looking at them. "Right?"

Chad nodded. "We had an undefeated season. We were going to go to regionals but we lost in sectionals."

"That's too bad. Must've been one hell of a season." Shane said. "I love me some basketball. Wanna play some two on two?" He nudged me.

"I hate basketball." I said flatly.

"Come on Gabi, It'll be fun." Troy said putting his hands on my hips. "What are the teams going to be?"

"Me and Gabi verse you two." Shane said, grinning.

I sighed taking my phone out of my bra. I set it down along with my keys and the other contents of my pocket. Troy covered it with his sweater and I took the ball from Chad, dribbling for a moment. I hadn't played basketball in forever. I wasn't completely terrible at it. I dribbled the ball, tossing it over to Shane. He caught it effortlessly and held it under his arm.

"Okay, first one to 21 wins." Shane said, looking over at the guys.

"Yeah." They said simultaneously.

"You guys can have the ball first." Chad added.

"Ready?" Shane said to me. I nodded. I took a position over to the left of the basket. Shane started dribbling, Troy ran over to me to block me. I rolled my eyes at him. He was way too enthusiastic about blocking. "Right hook!" Shane called out.

What the hell did that mean? I decided to make something up. I faked left and went right and Shane tossed me the ball. I shot the ball and it went into the hoop. I made my way down the court with a small smirk on my face. "Well Shit. Let the games begin." Troy said.

Shane and I ended up winning. We ran back to my house and did a little bit of training. As I did my homework, Shane agreed that Troy was a distraction but he was a good guy. He approved of him. It meant a lot to me that Shane liked him, since he was sort of like a father figure to me. Shane approval wasn't needed but it has still nice to know people were rooting for Troy and I.

* * *

**Hey y'all. I don't know what the heck happened on saturday with the uploading problems, but that was FF not me. I got like 3 reviews, that kinda sucked. But it probably was from the confusion. I'm having a crappy day, so i hope who ever is having a day like mine will cheer up because of this. I went on another weird reviewing spree the other day, i dyed my hair, and gave my dog a bath. Lol now that were all caught up with my random ramblings... i love you guys and i hope y'all have a great day today and wednesday. i'll see you on thursday. Don't forget to review!**


	19. Battery

It was the first weekend of February. I finished my fight in New York. I fought a boy, they were usually difficult but he was very inexperienced. I was announced the winner and I went back to my hotel room. Mom was being a tourist and walking around New York City. I opted to stay in the room. Troy couldn't come because his mom was having another round of chemo this week.

Everybody was still freaking out about my lack of hair. It was already starting to grow back. I had like peach fuzz. I had a fight mostly every weekend up until May, when I thought I was leaving. They were never in one place. My next one was in LA, the one after that Chicago. I hope Troy could go to a couple of them. It would be nice to spend some weekends with him. Mom wouldn't come with me for some since she had business trips. I traveled alone well though.

I was sitting on the bed of the hotel and I held the letter that my father wrote me in my hand. I've thought quite a bit about it and I hate to say it, he was right. Phoebe and Aaron didn't do anything to me. I secretly always wanted a sibling, some sort of family bigger than my mom. I wanted her to find the perfect guy that'll sweep her off her feet. He'd settle her down and she'd pop out a brother or a sister for me, but you don't always get what you want.

I flipped over the letter. It had the home phone, his cell and Phoebe's cell numbers on the back 'just in case.' I sighed to myself checking the time. It was only seven. We had an early fight. I picked up my cell phone. I carefully dialed a phone number on the back of the letter. It rang once before somebody picked up.

"Hello?" Phoebe's voice echoed in my ear.

I licked my lips. "Hi, Phoebe. It's Gabriella… Montez."

"Oh! Hi! Honey! You'll never-" She started.

"Can you please not tell him that I called?" I asked, interrupting her.

She let out a breath. "Oh, um, yes of course. What can I help you with?"

"I got the letter, and the book… of Aaron." I said, closing my eyes. Why did I do this?

"Right, I just thought you had a right to see him. Robert told me that your mother didn't really give you a fair warning before you came to visit. I completely understand how you're feeling. My parents are divorced too. It's always hard to see the two people you love the most separated." Phoebe said.

"Something like that." I said quietly. "I wanted to know how he was doing… Aaron, not my dad."

"Aaron is such a good boy. He looks more like me than he does Robert but I heard he acts just like you when you were little. He is so smart and so funny. I wish you had gotten the chance to meet him. He knows about you. Your dad talks about you all the time." She said. "Hold on… Yes Aaron,"

"C-can we go play with the play-dough?" I heard a little boy's voice say.

"Not tonight baby, maybe tomorrow, okay?" Phoebe said.

"Okay" Aaron said quietly. There was a rustling on the other end of the phone. "Hi." The boy said.

"Go ahead, bud. Say hi to Gabriella." Phoebe said quietly.

I perked up. "Hi Gabriella! I'm Aaron." He said.

"Um, Hi Aaron. What are you doing?" I asked him. I rubbed my forehead. What was I supposed to say to a four year old?

"I was just playing. Daddy is on the couch watching TV a-and I was sitting with him but all he does is watch sports. I want to play with Play dough but mommy said maybe tomorrow. Do you wanna come over and play?" He asked, hopefully.

My heart softened a little. "Not this weekend but I will come play with you one day. I heard you have a birthday coming up. How would you like it if I came to your birthday?"

He let out a squeal. "Can you really? I really want you to come! We can play with all the dinosaurs. I love the dinosaurs!"

I laughed quietly. "We can play with the dinosaurs. Can I bring my friend Troy? He's really nice and he loves to play with dinosaurs."

"Yes! I want to meet your friend too!" He said excitedly. "I'm going to be five!"

I smiled. "I know, I bet you're so big. What do you want for your birthday?"

"I want a car, Legos, play dough. I like fire trucks and dinosaurs. I want an I phone or an I touch." He said enthusiastically.

I laughed quietly. "I'll see what I can do. It was nice talking to you Aaron."

"Will you call again soon?" He asked.

"I will, if you ever want to talk to me, ask your mom." I said. "Can you put your mom back on the phone?"

"Okay, Bye Gab-rella. I'll see you on my birthday!"

"Hello?" Phoebe came back on the phone, laughing. "He always tells me he wants an I phone like daddy's. We bought him one of those children's tablets. Hopefully that would suffice."

"What do you think I should get him?" I asked, rubbing the top of my head.

She laughed. "Honey, you don't have to get him anything. He's just so excited that you told him you're coming."

"Good, well I plan on coming. Could I bring Troy too? You met him, sort of, last time. We're together now." I explained.

"Of course, feel free. I can set up the spare room for you if you'd like." She offered.

"I think it would be safer to stay in a hotel but thank you anyway. I just wanted to say I'm sorry for the way I acted last time I was there. It was just… over due. I plan to be more… open minded next time. My temper gets the best of me sometimes." I let out a breath.

"It's alright, I know it's hard and different. I just hope we can all get along. For Aaron's sake." She said.

"Yeah… Well I'm going to let you go. It was nice talking to you."

"You too sweetheart. Feel free to call anytime." She said.

"Alright, have a goodnight." I said quietly before I hung up the phone. I laid back on the bed.

* * *

I got back to Albuquerque Sunday night. I was so tired. I could not sleep the night before. I went straight to my room when I got home. I fell to the bed and passed out almost immediately. I woke up to my alarm the next morning. I shifted and felt two arms around me. Troy was laying next to me. I stroked his head and I kissed his lips slowly.

"Baby." I said quietly. "Troy, wake up." I stretched my arms out. I looked under the covers and I was just in underwear and a Camisole.

"Hey." Troy mumbled quietly. He pulled me closer and kissed my neck gently. "Good morning baby."

"How did you undress me without waking me up?" I asked, looking at him.

His eyes were closed. "I don't know, it shocked me too."

I laughed quietly. "Come on, we have to get ready for school."

He groaned. "Can't we skip school today? I didn't see you all weekend?"

I licked my lips. "I don't know Troy."

"Come on, live a little." He mumbled, rolling over and going back to sleep.

I laughed. "You're so lively." He hummed tiredly. "I'll call your mom, if she says we can skip then we can skip."

"Don't. She sleeping. Call dad." He said.

I frisked him and found his cell. I pulled it out and called his dad. "Troy?" Jack answered.

"It's Gabi, Jack." I said.

"Oh, what's up Gabi?" He asked.

"Troy and I want to take a mental health day. We'll only do it if you say it's alright. My mom is still in New York on Business. I know Lucy is not feeling well and sleeping still so I called you." I said.

Jack chuckled. "Do you have any tests today?"

"No."

"Does Troy?"

I turned to Troy. "Do you have any tests today?"

"No." He mumbled.

"He says no." I said, into the phone.

"I don't see a problem. Just check on Lucy a couple times. She thinks she's super woman." Jack said. "Tell Troy he should make dinner tonight. I'll probably be home late."

"Alright, I'll pass on the message. Have a good day." I said, into the phone.

"You too Gabi." He said before hanging up.

I put Troy's phone back in his pocket and cuddled up to him. He turned around and kissed my lips slowly. "He said we could stay home?" He asked against my lips.

"Yes." I pulled away from him. "You can go back to sleep."

"I don't wanna." He said, kissing down my neck slowly. "We can have an all day date, end it right here where we started." His lips found mine again.

I hummed, laying on my back. "Well see." His fingers crawled up my shirt slowly. He rolled on top of me. He lifted my shirt up and kissed down my belly slowly. "Mm, can you stop?"

"No." He mumbled, tugging at the top of my underwear with his teeth.

"Date then sex." I said looking over at him.

He sighed. "Okay." He laid next to me, wrapping his arms around you. "You know I love you right?" I nodded. "I'm not with you for the sex."

"I know." I said, looking up at him.

Troy kissed behind my ear. "I just need you so bad." He husked. "I crave sex with you."

"I want you too Troy, but I want a relationship more. It's not just about sex. We had sex before we even got together. We only knew each other for a week. I feel like we're just going to be fuck buddies instead of a couple." I confessed. "I don't want a fuck buddy."

"I don't want one either. I'm sorry that I keep bringing it up." He said. "What do you want to do today?"

"Sleep." I said, covering my mouth to yawn. "I want a really low key day. I'm exhausted."

He leaned over and kissed my lips gently. "We can sleep now."

* * *

We took a quick nap and woke up to go out to breakfast. We brought Lucy something to eat and we checked on her. She was feeling sick mostly but assured us she was okay. Troy called his aunt to come and keep her company. Apparently he already had plans for us. Troy stayed at his for a minute while I got into the shower and changed.

I walked back down the street to Troy's after I was ready. I knocked and Troy opened the door for me quickly. "She's sleeping." He said quietly.

I nodded, "Sorry." I whispered. We walked up stairs and he finished getting ready. "Where are we going?"

"For a drive." He said, looking over at me. "Up to Santa Fe." He pulled on his shoes.

We headed out the front door. Troy wanted to drive his truck so I hopped in the passengers seat. I buckled my seatbelt and played with the radio as he started driving. We stopped a half hour to Santa Fe to get gas. The truck had some sputtering but it started. I laid on his lap and looked up at the roof of the truck.

"When we go on our road trip were taking my car. We can drive east, like towards Texas. We can go down to Florida and spend a couple days at the beach. We can go up from there." I sighed in content. "I can't wait."

He grinned. "Me either."

"You know I never minded the travel of moving somewhere every year. I just hated starting over again. You can definitely loose yourself. Sometimes I don't even know who I am." I licked my lips. "I kind of just rushed through the last thirteen years. I'm looking forward to have a nice, slow summer with you."

He smiled. "Me too baby." He rubbed my scalp slowly. "You're so beautiful."

"I'm glad you think so, everybody seems to think I'm a bald freak." I laughed quietly.

Troy laughed. "You're my bald freak."

"How romantic." I said sarcastically.

He chuckled and the truck sputtered again. We were on the free way. "Shit." Troy curse under his breath. He got off the freeway at the nearest exit.

"Where are we going?" I asked, confused.

We were in the middle of no where next to the freeway. We stopped at a light and the truck died. "Fuck." He cursed. He tried to start the truck up again. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." It wouldn't start.

I looked behind us, thankfully nobody was coming. Troy hopped out of the truck. "Where are you going?" I asked.

"Just steer." He said.

I scooted over and I felt the truck start moving. I looked in the rearview, Troy was pushing as hard as he could. I steered the truck over to the side of the road. We stopped and Troy walked over to the front of the car. He put up the hood and I got out of the truck, walking over to him.

"Hey." I said, looking at the intestines of the vehicle.

He sighed. "The fucking battery died."

I rubbed the back of his neck. "Relax Troy. No big deal, we can call Triple A and they can change the battery for us."

Troy rubbed his face. "I'll go call them." He walked back towards the truck and pulled out his phone. I pulled my hood over my head. It was a little cold. I looked into the truck and sighed. I climbed back into the truck and sat with my legs crossed. "They said they'll be here in 45 minutes." He said sighing.

He climbed in the truck and slammed the door shut. He leaned against the door. I sat in between his legs. I leaned back against him. "What are we going to do for 45 minutes?" I asked.

"I don't know." He said, looking at me. "Fucking piece of shit truck."

I rubbed his thigh slowly. "It's alright Troy, there's no need to be grumpy." I turned to my side. "Put a smile on that handsome face of yours." I pushed his cheeks up.

He gave me a small smile and kissed my forehead. "When I was six I wanted to be a car mechanic. My dad promised me when I got into high school we'd fix up an old truck. We did, we got it running by my sixteenth birthday. I guess we got the cheap battery." He said.

I smiled. "I wish I had memories like that. I wished I lived in one place my whole life. I could at least have on city, one house, one place to call home. I guess I'll make my own home after college." I said, looking up at him. "It is a nice truck."

"I know, it just needs a new battery. Since I was too young to work on cars when I was six, he built me a tree house. It's still there, in the back yard. I haven't been up there since Chad and I went up there freshman year and smoked some pot."

I burst out laughing. "You and Chad smoking pot? I can't imagine that."

He laughed. "That's because my dad caught us and kicked our asses."

"What was your punishment?"

"Our dumb asses did it during basketball season. We ran until we threw up… twice…. And he made me drink prune juice to flush out my body and he made me eat a cigarette so I wouldn't smoke those either." He said.

I laughed. "You're lying."

Troy shook his head. "I'm really not, you can ask my dad."

I smiled. "That's great. I've never done any drugs… or smoke cigarettes. I've had a couple drinks but I've never really gotten drunk. By that time that would have peaked my interest, I was boxing."

He stroked my stomach lightly. "You're a good girl with a bad attitude."

"You charm my pants off every time you open your mouth." I said sarcastically.

Troy chuckled. "You know what I mean."

I smiled, nodding. "I know."

"When is your birthday?" He asked, looking at me.

"August first." I said, "Yours?"

"December 14th." He said, "I was originally due on Christmas but mom said they miscalculated because I was a big baby."

"Mom said I was normal. I just stayed on the smaller side. I remember when I was little, before my dad left, he would take me to get ice cream every single Friday. I would get rainbow sherbet and he would just get plain chocolate. We'd go to the park and we'd talk about everything that was going on that week." I reminisced. That was one of my favorite memories of my dad. "He never let me down until he left."

My phone started buzzing, distracting us from my story. "Go ahead." He said.

I picked up my phone. "Hello?" I answered.

"Where the fuck are you, you slut?" Sharpay practically yelled on the phone. "I know you're with Bolton because he's not here. If I interrupted your fucking then I'm not sorry."

I let out a laugh. "I'm sorry I'm not at school. I am with Troy. We are not having sex. Troy's truck died half way to Santa Fe and we are waiting for Triple A to come and change the battery." I filled her in. "How's school?"

"Stupid as shit. I should have ditched with you guys. Anyways Darbus is coming back so you better fucking come to school tomorrow." She said. "Love you, tootles!" She hung up the phone.

I sighed and shook my head. "She makes Albuquerque so much more interesting."

Troy chuckled. "That she does." He kissed the top of my head. "I love you."

"I know." I leaned against him. "I called Phoebe the other day."

He looked at me surprised. "Your dad's wife Phoebe?" I nodded. "How come?"

"I talked to her about Aaron, then I talked to Aaron for a little bit. He seems like such a great kid. I told him I was going to go to his birthday." I said, sighing. "I just don't know how I'm going to deal with my dad. I don't want to deal with my dad."

"You can't just not talk to him in his own house." Troy said. "What if your aunt is there?"

I shrugged. "I didn't really think this through Troy." I said groaning. "Fuck."

He chuckled. "No need to stress out babe." He rubbed his cheek against my head.

"I know, I just…" I trailed off, looking out the window. "I don't want to talk about it right now."

"That's fine." He mumbled as he kissed the back of my head. "Do you use pills?"

"What?" I asked confused.

"Birth control. We never really talked about it did we?" He asked.

I shrugged. "I don't think so. I get the shot. It's so much easier." I said.

"That's good. No babies."

"No babies for me for a very very long time." I said, sitting up. I turned to face him. He licked my lips, assaulting me with his tongue. I made a face, pulling away from him. "What are you doing?" I asked, wiping my mouth.

"Giving you nerd kisses." He said laughing.

"At one of my old schools, I think it was like in Texas or something. Right before we moved to San Diego, there was this couple they were like weird… I guess they would make out in front of the gym. God, it was so gross. One time they pulled away and they had a long string of spit." I fake gagged. "It was so gross."

"Wanna try?" He asked, gathering up his spit.

"Ew no!" I laughed covering his mouth. "Please don't."

He moved my hand "…But baby I love you." He licked his lips getting them ready. He opened his mouth and started sucking in air, leaning in closer to me. He was holding my waist but I tried to get away.

"Get off me." I said, pushing him away from me, giggling. I turned my head and he left an open mouth kiss on my cheek. I felt his tongue pressed against my face. He pulled away laughing and I wiped my face off. "You're so gross."

He grinned, proudly. "You love me."

I rolled my eyes. "Sometimes." I sat up. "How would you feel if a girl tried to kiss you like this?" I opened my mouth sticking my tongue out like he was doing before.

"I'd say 'come at me baby'" He stuck his tongue out, wiggling it.

I pushed his forehead back. "Shut up." I said moving away from him again. He pulled me back into his lap. He kissed my cheek gently then my lips. I pulled away from him. "Have you ever had sex in your truck?" I asked, looking at him.

"Nope." He said, looking at me.

I grinned at him. "Do you wanna?" I asked, biting my lip.

"Right now?" Troy asked, getting excited.

I shook my head. "No not now, somebody is coming to fix your truck." I leaned over and kissed his lips slowly. "Maybe later… one day" I said, smirking at him.

"You're such a tease Gabriella Montez." He said, pulling me in for a kiss.

I smiled at him. "Well I gotta be good at something, right?"

* * *

**The first chapter of Fame and Love is out! Go read Superstar if you hadn't already then Fame and Love! I'll try to update it at least once a week, but i'm still finishing both of these stories off and i don't know how long they'll be. It'll be a surprise to both of us. Happy Valentines day. My valentines are all of you! ;) I love all your reviews for last chapter. Y'all are so cute. You cannot fathom how awesome i think you all are. Have a gread VD and don't get one! lol. Five points to whoever gets that joke. 2 for whoever doesn't because it's kind of dumb but oh well! Don't forget to review!**


	20. Strip

There was a knock at the window and I jumped. Troy got up and looked at the man outside the window. "That must be the guy." Troy said. He kissed my forehead. "I'll be right back." I sat up and I stretched out my back.

He walked out and I watched him talk to the man. I rolled down the window and I leaned my head out the window to hear what the guy was saying. They disappeared under the hood of the truck. A while later the man walked over to his truck with a battery. He brought the new one over and disappeared under the hood again. I looked at the time. It was a little after 11 in the afternoon.

The hood slammed and I looked up at Troy and the guy. They were talking still. The guy walked away and Troy walked over to me. He got in the truck and started the truck. It turned on with no problems. He let it run for a minute then turned it off. He did it again then turned it off, he walked back over to the man.

I waited another minute before he came back. "Babe, can you hand me my wallet? It's in the cup holder."

"How much is it?" I asked, reaching over for his wallet.

"Only like 150. The insurance covered half." He said. I handed over his wallet. He kissed my lips quickly. "He asked me why we were bald. I told him we were apart of a cult."

I looked at him and laughed. "You did not!" He chuckled, nodded and walked away. I shook my head at him. "Only Troy." I said to myself, sighing.

I scooted over to the passengers seat and put my seatbelt on. Troy got in, buckling up. He turned the key in the ignition and the truck started up again. "Ready?" He asked, looking over at me.

"Yup." I said, sitting back.

Troy got back on the free way and we headed over to the mall. We parked in front of Macy's and got out. "I know we were just here the other weekend but I figured we could kill some time before we got hungry again." He said when he walked over to me. He laced his fingers in between mine.

"That's fine" I said, flashing him a smile. He leaned over and kissed my cheek gently.

* * *

We walked around the mall a couple of times. I didn't buy as much stuff as I did last time. We bought Lucy a gorgeous purse, some scarves and some other things we thought she would like. We got back into the truck and I put the things we bought Lucille in the purse. I miraculously fit everything in. I looked up as I felt the truck stop.

I saw the little pizza place we stopped at on our way to Phoenix. "This is where we're having lunch?" I asked, with a small smile on my face.

"Yes." He said grinning. "Come on." He climbed out of the truck.

I got out and walked over to him. I gave him a firm kiss before we went inside. I stood next to Troy as we ordered the pizza. I sat down at the table we sat at last time. Troy brought us our drinks and he sat down across from me. "I want to go back to the Grand Canyon again." I said randomly.

"It was kind of like our unofficial first date." He said, smiling.

"I actually had a lot of fun with you that weekend." I confessed. "except the five minutes we were at my dads house."

Troy chuckled. "That was interesting… to say the least."

I nodded. I rubbed my leg against his. "I don't know what Albuquerque would have been like if I hadn't met you." I said honestly, looking up at him. He fit his fingers in between mine.

"It was love at first shove." He said, grinning.

I laughed, shaking my head at him. "I get pissy when we move to new places."

"I noticed." He said, with a small smirk on his face. I rolled my eyes at him and let go of his hand. He got up and he brought over our pizza.

When we finished our pizza, Troy drove us back toward Albuquerque. It was only about one in the afternoon. I played a game on my phone as we made our way back to his house. When we got there, I got out of the truck, grabbing Lucille's bag that we bought, fixing it, to make it look pretty. Troy was waiting for me by the door.

I walked over to him and kissed him slowly before we actually walked in. He opened the door. His mom and another woman, I assumed was his aunt, were sitting on the couch. "Hey mama, hey Auntie Kat." He walked over to them giving each of them a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey Troy, hey Gabi." Lucy said. "Kat, this is Gabi, Troy's girlfriend. Gabi this is Troy's Aunt Kat." She introduced.

I smiled at her. "Nice too meet you"

"I've heard only good things about you. You're more beautiful than they make you out to be." Kat said, grinning at Troy.

His cheeks turned a little red. I smiled over at him. "Anyways Mom, Gabi and I got you something." He said, looking over at me.

I lifted up the purse handing it to her. "It's like a care package. Troy told me you loved purses so I personally picked you out one. We got you some pretty scarves and some little things to hopefully make you feel better."

She looked at the bag. "It's so cute! I love this." She sighed, smiling. "You guys are the sweetest… come here." She held her arms out. She wrapped me and Troy in a hug.

"We figured since you're being so strong, we'd do something nice for you. We love you and we want you to feel good even if you feel like shit." Troy said, kissing his moms bald head.

"Let me take a picture of you guys!" Kat said. Troy and I sat on either side of her. Troy and I wrapped our arms around her and smiled brightly for the picture. "How beautiful." She said, looking at her phone. "I'll e-mail it to you Luce."

"Please do." She said. "What are you guys doing now?"

"I'm going to show her the tree house." Troy said, smiling.

Lucille laughed. "Oh boy. Well, have fun."

Troy dragged me out to the backyard. "How do I know if there are no scorpions in there?" I asked as we approached the tree.

"I checked yesterday." Troy said, climbing up the ladder. "Come on." I followed him up and I looked around the small tree house. It was so cute, very boyish, some of his old toys were still up here. I looked around and I found him sitting down on a bean bag. "Come here."

"This thing isn't going to break right?" I asked, walking over to him.

He shook his head. "Me, Chad and my dad were all up here at one time. It think it can hold you and me." Troy said, pulling me into his lap.

I leaned my head against his chest. "Did you spend a lot of time up here?" I asked him.

"It was my favorite place to be." He said, smiling. "I had a very creative imagination, which helped with being an only child."

I nodded. "It did, didn't it?"

He kissed the side of my head. We sat there quietly. I enjoyed the feeling of his arms wrapped around me. I don't know how but just being with him made me happy. I haven't been happy in so long I almost forgot what it felt like. I listened to his heart thumping, the rhythm was calming.

"Do you want to go see a movie?" He asked me.

"No." I said, leaning against him.

"What do you want to do for the rest of the day?" He looked over at me.

"We are going to play video games and then I'm going to cook you dinner at my house." I said, looking up at him. He blinked at me. "I know you have a Wii."

"I don't have a Wii, but I think I just fell in love with you even more." He kissed my lips firmly and pushed me up.

I just rolled off his lap and fell on my butt as he stood up. "Ow. I have one." I said, looking up at him.

Troy chuckled. "Sorry babe." He pulled me up. I leaned over and kissed his lips slowly.

"You'll be even more sorry when I kick your ass at Mario Kart." I smirked at him. I walked away and climbed down the ladder. I walked over to the back door and we walked in.

"Hey Gabi." Lucy said as I walked in. "What's up?"

"I'm about to kick Troy's ass at Mario Kart." I said, grinning.

Lucy laughed. "Don't worry honey, it's easy."

"Hey!" Troy said, from behind us. "It is not easy!" He defended.

"I'll see you later Lucy." I gave her a hug. I waved goodbye to Troy's aunt as I walked out of the door. I walked backwards to my house until I saw Troy run out the door. He caught up to me and threw me over his shoulder.

"I've got you now." He said in his best evil voice.

"You better not drop me. This is concrete under us." I said, holding onto him. He fake dropped me. "Troy, you mother fucker." I punched him on the butt cheek.

"Ow!" He yelled, laughing. "You're so violent." I pressed my cheek against his back. I bit him. "Stop that." He said as we approached my house. He set me down. "You just bit me." He lifted up his shirt. "I'm going to need a tetanus shot."

I rolled my eyes. "Stop whining, I didn't even leave a mark." I said, giving him a quick kiss. I unlocked the door and pulled Troy inside. "We're going to have to find my Wii in the garage somewhere." I said as we walked over to the garage.

I found a box with my name on it. I pulled it out and looked through it. "Gabi's room… Private." I heard Troy say.

I shot up. "What are you-" I saw him about to open the box. "Don't." I rushed over to him and pushed the box back up. "It's not in that box. I found it." I said, pulling him over to the box I opened.

"What's in that box?" He asked, curiously.

"Just stupid stuff. You wouldn't care." I said, pulling out the console. "You know what, we can just take this whole box."

"I got it." He said picking up the box. "Up to your room?" He asked.

"Yup." I said, following him out the door. I took one last look at the box and shut out the lights. I walked up stairs to my room. I watched him set up the console and he handed the a controller. "These probably need batteries."

Troy tried to turn his on. "Yeah." He opened the back and handed me the batteries out of his. I took the batteries out of mine and I threw them away and found some new ones. I brought them upstairs and handed two to Troy.

We got the controllers set up and we sat on my bed. "We have to make you a little guy." I said, leaning against him.

"I'm going to make the ugliest one." He said, grinning.

"Do whatever you want babe." I said, stretching my legs out. I watched him concentrate as he made his person. We went back to the main screen. Troy burst out laughing. "What?" I asked him confused.

"Is that you?" He asked, pointing to my little person.

"Yeah, what's wrong with me?" I asked, looking over at him.

He grinned. "Nothing."

"No, tell me, what's wrong with me?" I crossed my arms.

He chuckled quietly. "Nothing Gabi, really." I gave him a look. He leaned over and kissed my lips slowly. "It's cute. I was laughing because it looked just like you." He attacked my neck with kisses.

I laughed pushing him away from me. "Okay, okay, okay!" I said, kissing his lips. I got up and put the game in. I sat on the edge of the bed. Troy sat next to me and kissed the side of my head as I set up the game. "You ass, I was going to be Yoshi."

"Ha Ha, Too bad." He said grinning.

I rolled my eyes and picked Luigi instead. "Let's make this interesting." I said, turning to him.

He cocked an eyebrow. "How so?"

"If I win then you have to take an article of clothing off. Both shoes count as one and both socks count as one." I said. "If you win then I have to take something off. Strip Mario Kart."

"Deal." We shook on him. "Get ready to get naked."

"Take your own advice." I said. We started at the first track. I got mentally prepared and we started the race.

"Fuck… Fucking banana… You hit me with the red shell!… God damn! Fuck!" Troy was yelling the whole race from beside me.

"Troy, Shut up!" I said, nudging him. I crossed the finish line before him. "Ha!" I popped up. "Get naked loser!"

He grunted, unhappily. He kicked both his shoes off. "Let's go to the next one." He mumbled.

We raced again and I won again. Troy took his shirt off. The third race, Troy won. I took off my shirt. By the 7th race Troy was down to just his boxers and I was in my underwear and jeans. We were on race eight. If I won then the game would be over. Troy threw a shell at me and I spun out so Troy won. "You fucking cheater!" I yelled at him.

Troy laughed at me. "I did not cheat. You cheat! Your tits are distracting!"

"Fucking cheater." I grumbled taking off my jeans.

"This one is for the win!" Troy said dramatically.

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up." I pushed him over. We started the next race and I focused on the game. Troy leaned over and kissed my bare shoulder. "Knock it off, cheater."

"I'm just trying to give my girlfriend a kiss." He argued, kissing my cheek.

"You're trying to distract me, stop. I'm going to win." I said, looking at the screen.

"Your nipples are hard."

I laughed, yelling at him. "Troy! Stop."

"I'm just saying." He mumbled. He reached over and flicked one gently.

I pushed him away from me. "Go away." Troy laughed, catching up to me. He kissed down my shoulder again. I turned and kissed him quickly. "There, now go away."

"No." He turned my chin and kissed me again.

I pushed him away from me with my elbows. "You made me die!" I sighed, frustrated. "Fucking eighth place my ass." I broke a box and I got the jet. I shot all the way to first place. Troy leaned over and started kissing my neck slowly. I closed my eyes for a brief second, tilting my head. He kissed over to my lips. I wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing his lips. I kept one eye on the screen. I glanced at Troy and he was doing the same.

He pulled me closer to him and I ground my hips against his. I nibbled on his bottom lip and he groaned against my lips. I pulled away and he nuzzled me neck, nibbling his way down. I giggled and pulled away from him. "What?" He asked, looking at me.

I smirked at him. "Take 'em off baby. You just lost."

"That is not fair! You're the cheater!" He said standing up. He pulled down his boxers.

I smirked at him. "How does it feel to have a taste of your own medicine?" I asked, smirking at him. I got up and I walked over to my closet. I put a robe on and wrapped it around me.

"Can I put my clothes back on now?" He asked.

I shook my head. "Nope."

"Please?" He asked. "It's cold."

I smirked. "Boxers… shorts maybe."

"That's all I ask." He said, pulling on his boxers. He rummaged through his drawer and pulled some shorts on.

"I'm going to go make dinner. You should brush up on your Mario Kart skills and maybe you can beat me next time we play strip Mario Kart." I said smirking at him. I put some slippers on and walked down to the kitchen. I looked through the fridge and the cabinets before deciding to make something light.

I finished the salad first. I decided to bake chicken and steam some vegetables. I set the table for two, lighting some candles for mood lighting. I set the salad on the table along with some salad dressing. I poured Troy a drink and got myself a glass of water. Once the chicken was done I set one on each plate along with the vegetables.

I walked up stairs quickly. Troy was laying across my bed, watching TV. "Dinner ready?" He asked as he looked up at me.

"Yes." I helped him up and we walked down stairs. He grinned when he saw everything set up. He sat down and I sat down across from him. I untied my robe and let it cover my nipples but exposed my chest.

"It looks good." He said, looking at me, more like my boobs, but I didn't mind. I watched him take a bite. He ate happily and I sat back and started eating too. He ate another piece of chicken and the rest of the vegetables. Once we were done we washed all the dishes, blew out the candles, and put everything else away.

Troy was finishing drying the dishes and I walked up to my room. I cleaned up my room a little bit, taking a couple condoms out and setting them on the bedside table. I didn't want to dig for them later. I turned off the Wii and the TV, putting the remote on top of the TV where I always kept it.

I saw Troy standing in the doorway, watching me. I blushed and looked away. "Did I just make you blush?" He walked over to me and turned my face to look at him. I diverted my eyes. "Wow, that's a first."

"Shut up." I mumbled, finally looking up at him. He grinned, leaning down to kiss my lips slowly. His kisses became more hungry as they trailed down my neck. I closed my eyes, wrapping my arms around his neck. "Troy, go slow." I said quietly.

He paused mid kiss and moved his hands along my waist slowly. "Sorry baby." He mumbled against my neck, making my way up to his lips.

I kissed his lips gently. "Don't be." I looked up at him, dropping my arms. He slid the robe from my shoulders gently. I tugged off his shorts slowly. He stepped out of them and kissed my bare chest slowly. I ran my fingers along his scalp slowly. I kissed the top of his head and sighed in content. His lips found mine and he picked me up, walking me over to my bed. He laid me down and kissed my lips slowly. My fingers stroking down his chest.

Soon the thin barriers were shed and his erection was sheathed in a condom. He was placed at my entrance, inching his way in. His lips were covering my mouth. My eyes were closed and he pushed his was into me. I let out a breath and I kissed his lips slowly. My hips rocked with his thrusts slowly. His fingers caressed every inch of my body. Our mouths, like our sexes, never lost connection. Everything was just so perfect, almost too good to be true. Although we had had sex before it was like we were doing it for the first time.

Our elongated strokes and soft touches made the orgasm that followed more intense. After the high was over, he laid on top of me and kissed my lips slowly. "I love you Gabi." He said running his fingers along my head.

"I love you too, so much." I said, looking up at him. He gave me one last kiss before he pulled out of me. He took the condom off and disposed of it. He got settled next to me, kissing the side of my neck. "It's the box of bad memories."

"Hm?" He asked, turning his head to look at me.

"The box in the garage. It's filled with unopened letters from my dad, notes, stuff from dare guy and other miscellaneous bad memories." I said quietly.

I saw the confusion on his face. "If they're bad, why do you have them?" He asked.

I let out a quiet sigh. "Because they weren't always bad. They were all good at one point but every time I look at that stuff or add more to the collection, I can't help but feel disappointed."

Troy's hand stretched out over my stomach, he pulled me against him. "Thank you, for telling me. You didn't have to. I love you and I wish I could make all the bad things disappear… but I can't. What I can do is be here for you and that's exactly what I'm going to do." He kissed my forehead as I cuddled up in his arms.

* * *

**Hello internet friends. i decided to hang out with you today :) I'm really glad you liked Fame and Love. I'm really excited for it. it's the more 'dramatic' story of the two. I've been working really hard to finish it but i'm no where close yet. i'll probaly upload on fridays every week. I might upload chapter two on monday if you guys wanted me to. anyway, i'm done rambling. i have to find something to do because 'i can't use my phone except for calls' lol i went over on data (rolls eyes) but whateva. That's what the internet's for right? Love you! Don't forget to review.**


	21. Donna

I woke up on my stomach, my thighs were sore. After our first round, we went through round two and round three. We kind of forgot we had to go to school the next day. I looked at the clock. It was six in the morning. "Fuck." I cursed, rubbing my eyes.

I nudged Troy next to me. He didn't move, I nudged him even harder. "What?" He mumbled.

"We have to get ready for school." I said, getting up.

"Fuck school." He grumbled.

I rolled my eyes. "Get up. I'm going to take a shower." I walked over to my bathroom and hopped in the shower. I finished my shower and I walked out in my towel Troy was still on the bed. I dried myself off and I got dressed. I pulled all the blankets off of Troy. I smacked his bare butt. "Get up Troy, seriously."

He groaned and sat up with his eyes closed. "I don't want to go."

"I know, but you have to. Get in the shower Troy." I said helping him up. I walked in the bathroom and turned the shower on. He trailed in behind me and got in the shower. I dried the little hair that I had. I turned the lights off as I walked out of the bathroom as habit.

"Hey!" Troy yelled.

I laughed. "Sorry babe." I turned the lights back on and I walked down the stairs. I made lunch for Troy and I. I walked back up stairs and grabbed all my things, putting my shoes on. Troy came out of the bathroom with a towel on. He looked exhausted. He dug through his drawer and put some boxers on. I wrapped my arms around him. "Good Morning." I said kissing the middle of his back.

"Morning." He said, putting a flannel on. He leaned down and kissed my lips gently. "I'm tired."

"Me too." I said, leaning against him. "I made you lunch though."

He smiled lazily. "Thank you baby."

"Do you want to go to school with me? We can stop and get some breakfast." I offered.

Troy nodded. "Sure, I'll just have to get my stuff."

"That's fine." I said, "I'll meet you down stairs." I picked up the garbage from my room and brought it down stairs. I took the downstairs garbage outside. I walked back in and Troy was waiting for me.

"I'll be back in a minute." He said kissing me quickly.

"Alright." I said. I put my school stuff in my trunk. I looked around for my purse. I had my keys but I didn't have my purse. I sighed, closing my eyes, trying to think of where I had it last. I grabbed our lunches and I walked outside.

I saw Troy walking up. He got in the car, handing me my purse. "You left it in the truck."

I let out a breath of relief. "I was shitting myself over it." I said. I looked through it quickly before I put it by Troy's feet. "Starbucks is calling my name." I said sighing.

Troy chuckled. I drove through the drive thru Starbucks and we each got a sandwich. I drove to school and parked in my spot. I ate my sandwich and drank my coffee. Troy did the same and we got out and walked into school. I laced my fingers in between his as we walked to our lockers. I opened it and put my stuff in.

"Hey Girl!" Sharpay said rushing over to me. "I missed you so much! I feel like we haven't talked in forevs. I wanted to invite you to dinner with my parentals. Daddy raved about you to mom so he's pretty interested to see you again."

I shrugged. "Sure, when?"

"Tonight." She said. I nodded. "I'll give you the deets later."

"Alright." I said, turning around to look at Troy but he was gone. I shut my locker. "So what did I miss yesterday?" I asked, walking with Sharpay to homeroom.

"Nothing interesting." She said, rolling her eyes. "What did you and Troy Bolton do?"

"We went to Santa Fe, got stuck, went to the mall, got pizza, went back to his house then to my house and that was about it." I sat down in my seat. She sighed and walked back to hers. Troy walked in and sat behind me. "Where did you go?" I asked, looking at Troy.

"Chad was calling me." He said. "Sorry."

"I'm going to Sharpay's for dinner… that should be interesting." I said, licking my lips.

He smirked. "Have fun."

"I'll eat lunch with the guys today. I need to ask Chad how his date went." I said, looking at him. He made a face. I frowned. "Was it bad? I'll kick her ass."

Troy chuckled. "You'll have to ask him."

"Alright." I said. He picked up my hand and kissed my palm. I stroked his cheek gently before I turned to face the front.

* * *

I ate lunch with Troy and his friends and after school I went home. I finished my homework and got dressed. Sharpay told me to dress nice so I did. I put some makeup on and looked at myself. I wonder how they would react to my being bald. Hopefully Sharpay told them ahead of time. I slipped a head band on with a bow on the top. I let out a breath. I slipped some heels on and grabbed my purse.

I walked down to my car and I saw Troy outside, working with his dad on something in his truck. I caught his eyes and he ran over to me. "Look at you." A grin spread on his face. "I love the bow."

I laughed. "I needed to do something with my head."

"I would hug you but I don't want to get you dirty." He said. "We're changing the oil."

"I see, well I'll let you get back to your manly duties. I'll call you when I get home and tell you how it goes." I said, smoothing down my dress.

Troy leaned over and kissed my lips slowly. "I love you, I'll talk to you later."

"I love you too." I cupped his face, kissing him again. "Tell your dad I said hi."

"Will do, see you." He walked away from me.

I climbed in my car and started it. I used my phone GPS to find Sharpay's house. I pulled up to a gate and pressed the button. "Name?" The voice asked.

"Gabriella Montez for Sharpay Evans." I said, licking my lips. The gate opened and I drove in. I parked behind a silver lexis and I got out of the car. I picked up my purse and stuffed my keys in them. I walked up to the door and I rang the doorbell.

"I'll get it!" I heard Sharpay yell. "No June! I'll get it!" I heard her again. She opened the door with a big grin on her face. "Hey!" She wrapped her arms around me tightly. I laughed hugging her back. "You look so gorg. Come see my room!" She said excitedly.

I laughed. "Okay." She pulled me inside and We walked up the stairs. We turned down a long hallway and we got to a pink door. She opened it. "Wow Sharpay." Her room wasn't completely pink. It reminded me of Valentines day. Her walls were red and white.

"I know, they told me I couldn't have a pink room so I chose the colors that make it." She grinned. Her loose curls bounced lightly. "What do you think?"

"It's huge. I wouldn't know what to do with all this space." I said looking around.

"I like having everything spread out." She explained. "I kind of have OCD about my room."

"I have OCD about everything else." I joked.

"Let's go down stairs. I want you to meet my mom and dad… and June." Sharpay said.

I nodded. "Alright."

She lead the way and I followed her out of her room. I kept my purse close to my body. "June! This is my BFF Gabriella. Gabi, this is our house keeper June."

I smiled at the older lady. "Nice to meet you June."

"Nice to meet you too sweetheart. I'm glad Miss Sharpay has a friend like you." June said, smiling.

"Where's mom?" Sharpay asked.

"She's in the kitchen, dear." June replied, turning to get back to her work.

Sharpay pulled me across the house and into the kitchen. "Mom! This is Gabriella!" Sharpay said excitedly.

The blonde woman turned around and my throat caught. She looked at me as I looked at her. She was blonde now but I knew that face anywhere. It was her. I took a step back then steadied myself. "Donna." I said breathlessly.

"Gabriella." She said, looking at me. "Look at you, all grown up."

"Wait, How do you know my mom?" Sharpay asked confused.

I blinked at Donna then turned to Sharpay. "She is the whor- woman my dad left my mom for." I said, barely catching myself. "I can't do this." I said, looking over at Sharpay. "I just-"

I turned to walk out of the room. "Gabriella, wait." I heard Donna call from behind me. I kept walking until I got to the door.

I turned around and looked at the woman. "Sharpay is a good friend to me and I don't want to say something to ruin our friendship. I would say it's nice to see you again, but it's not. Goodbye." I said calmly and walked out to my car. I looked through my purse for my keys. "God damn it." I mumbled to myself. I leaned my head against my edge of my car. I closed my eyes and sighed. I can't deal with this right now. I got up and kicked my tire. I finally found my keys and opened the car door. I got in quickly, slamming the door behind me.

Somebody climbed into the car with me. "Okay. What the actual fuck? What a small world right? I can't believe mom would do something like that." Sharpay sighed.

"Shar, I don't want to talk right now." I said quietly.

She just looked at me. "Wow, they really fucked you up didn't they?" I shot her a look. "I mean that in the most... What is that word? Sincere? I mean that in the most sincerest way possible."

I rested my forehead in my hand. "If I go back in there I don't know if I can control myself. I've been doing so well, keeping my anger in check. Now that I'm not seven there are so many things I'd like to tell her. And I can't so I think I'm just going to go home."

Sharpay sighed. "Maybe we can try this again sometime."

"Maybe, I'll see you tomorrow." I said, looking over at her. She climbed out of my car and back towards her house. I drove out the driveway quickly. I pulled into the parking lot of the park I usually run to and I cut the engine. I pulled out my phone and called my mom.

"Gabi?" She answered the phone, confused.

"Hey mom." I said quietly.

"What's wrong?"

I sighed, where to start? "Well my friend Sharpay, the one that went to Vegas, well she invited me over to dinner. We already met her father but when I went over there earlier I met her mother." I sighed.

"I don't understand." She said, confused still.

"Well first of all they're adopted. Her and her brother Ryan. So anyways, Donna is their mother." I said, rubbing my forehead.

"Who?"

"Dad's Donna. The Whore. She's blonde now."

"Sweet Jesus."

"You're telling me. Albuquerque is just a fucking fantastic time." I said sarcastically. I groaned. "Like can I ever get a break mom, really? Apparently not. I'm fucking tired of this. First it's dad and now it's fucking Donna. Mom, can you send me to live in an igloo in Alaska? I'm so tired of this."

She sighed. "I'm sorry baby."

"You and Troy are the only normal things in my life now. I don't even feel like boxing in normal anymore. Although I could punch something right now." I licked my lips.

"Where are you?"

"In my car, at the park." I said. "I hadn't even made it home yet."

"Why don't you go home, take a nice bubble bath or go see Troy? Go train or something. I'll be home on Thursday morning and we can talk face to face then." She said. "I love you and I miss you and I'll see you soon."

"I love you and miss you too." I said. "Bye mom."

"Bye honey." She said before hanging up.

I sat in my car for a minute before I started driving again. I drove to my house and got out of the car. I walked over to Troy's house and knocked on the door. Jack answered the door. "Hey Gabi, I thought you were at a dinner."

"I was but… it's a long story. Is Troy here?" I asked, rubbing my arm.

"Yeah, I think he's in his room. Go on up." Jack said letting me in. I gave Jack a small, thankful smile. I made my way up the stairs and knocked on Troy's bedroom door.

"Come in." Troy called. I opened the door and closed it behind me. Troy grinned when he saw me. "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to see you." I said quietly, standing by the door.

He got off his bed and walked over to me. "What's wrong baby?" He took my purse off my shoulder and he pulled me over to his bed. He took the bow off my head. We laid on his bed and I kicked my heels off. I closed my eyes, resting against him.

"I almost lost my temper. I'm working on not losing it so often but…" I trailed off. "Have you met Sharpay's mom?"

"Mrs. Evans? Yeah, she's does PTA with my mom." Troy said, running his fingers up and down my arm slowly.

"Donna is the woman my dad left my mom for." I said, licking my lips.

He turned to me. "Wow. I didn't expect that."

"You're telling me." I said closing my eyes. "I'm not even hungry. I'm just done"

Troy wrapped his arms around me tighter. "I'm sorry." He said softly, pressing a kiss against my forehead.

"Me too." I said quietly. "I'm sure you didn't expect somebody like me to come and run your life in the ground."

He rolled his eyes at me. "Don't even start with that shit." I sighed. "Let's get you home. You can relax and I'll make you some dinner."

"I'm not hungry." I protested.

"You're going to eat anyway. Come on. Get up." I watched him get up and collect my things. "Let's go." I just looked at him. He waited patiently for me. I got up and pulled down my dress. I put my heels back on and he walked me down stairs. "Mom I'm going to Gabi's."

"No. You stay here. You can stay with your family. I can take care of myself." I said. "Sorry Lucy. I'll see you guys later." I took my purse from him and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. I walked out of the door, closing it behind me. I made it half way home before Troy caught up with me. "Troy, go home."

"No, I'm going to hang out with you." He said, walking me up to my porch.

I leaned against him. "I love you Troy but you don't need to save me. I'll be okay."

"I'm not trying to save you, I just want to make you happy." He said, lacing his fingers in between mine.

I smiled softly at him. "You do make me happy, hell this is the happiest I've been in a long time. I didn't think Pretty Boy could tear down all my walls." He pulled me closer to him. "You are one of the best things that has ever happened to me."

"And you are, me. That is why we are going to have a relaxing rest of the day before I go back home." He said, pulling me inside the house. He walked me up to my room. He looked around. "Do you have an iPod or something?" He asked me.

I walked over to my charger and I pulled off my iPod, handing it to him. He placed it in the iHome on my dresser and he turned it on. He looked through the songs and picked one and it started playing.

_"Katie, don't cry._  
_I know you're trying your hardest_  
_And the hardest part is letting go of the nights we shared_  
_Ocala is calling and you know it's haunting_  
_But compared to your eyes_  
_Nothing shines quite as bright_  
_And when we look to the sky,_  
_It's not mine but I want it so."_

"You know this song?" I asked, smiling a little bit as he wrapped his arm around my waist.

"Yes I do." He grinned and took his hand in mine. We started slow dancing to the song that continued playing in the back ground.

_"Let's not pretend like you're alone tonight_  
_I know he's there and_  
_You're probably hanging out and making nice_  
_While across the room he stares_  
_I bet he gets the nerve to walk the floor_  
_And ask my girl to dance, She'll say yes._  
_Because these words were never easier for me to say_  
_Or her to second guess_  
_But I guess that I can live without you_  
_But without you I'll be miserable at best."_

I smiled as Troy started singing to me softly.

_"You're all that I hoped I'd find_  
_In every single way_  
_And everything I would give is everything you couldn't take._  
_Cause nothing feels like home_  
_You're a thousand miles away._  
_And the hardest part of living is just taking breaths to stay._  
_Cause I know I'm good for something, I haven't found it yet._  
_But I need it._

_So let's not pretend like you're alone tonight_  
_I know he's there and_  
_You're probably hanging out and making nice_  
_While across the room he stares_  
_I bet he gets the nerve to walk the floor_  
_And ask my girl to dance, She'll say yes._  
_Because these words were never easier for me to say_  
_Or her to second guess_  
_But I guess that I can live without you_  
_But without you I'll be miserable at best."_

Troy stopped singing and we hummed along to the instrumentals. Our bodies were pressed together, our eyes focused on each other. It was the little things like this that made Troy stand out above the rest of the losers I've dated. His mom definitely taught him how to be a gentleman. I was the luckiest girl to be dancing with him right now.

_"This will be first time that in a week_  
_I'll talk to you and I can't speak_  
_Been three whole days since I've had sleep_  
_Cause I dream of his lips on your cheek_  
_And I got the point that I should leave you alone_  
_But we both know that I'm not that strong_  
_And I miss the lips that made me fly._

_So let's not pretend like you're alone tonight_  
_I know he's there and_  
_You're probably hanging out and making nice_  
_While across the room he stares_  
_I bet he gets the nerve to walk the floor_  
_And ask my girl to dance, She'll say yes._  
_Because these words were never easier for me to say_  
_Or her to second guess_  
_But I guess that I can live without you_  
_But without you I'll be miserable,_  
_And I can live without you, but without you I'll be miserable_  
_And I can live without you, _  
_Oh without you I'll be miserable at best."_

I leaned up and kissed his lips slowly. "I love you."

"I love you more." He smiled widely at me. "Do you feel a little better?"

I nodded my head. "I do, thank you babe." I said quietly, I wrapped my arms around his waist. He hugged his arms around me tightly.

"Do you want to come back to my house? We can have some dinner and go to bed." Troy offered. I nodded my head, that sounded really nice. I released my arms from him and collected some clothes for tomorrow. I gave them to him to hold. I collected my school stuff. I changed and pulled some boots on. We made our way over to Troy's dropping off my stuff in his truck. We walked through the front door. His parents were upstairs so we ate dinner quietly. We cleaned up and walked up stairs. I cuddled up in Troy's bed, relaxing against him.

* * *

**Hey, Y'all. How are you today? I got blood drawn so i'm a little loopy. lol. Tell me what you thought about Donna. Did anybody call it? Let me know in a review. The second chapter of Fame and Love is out so go review that too while you're at it. I love you all. don't forget to review :)**


	22. Cockblock

I went to LA for a fight but I lost. I came home with a black eye. It didn't really surprise me. I hadn't been keeping up with my training. I got my ass chewed out by Shane until I told him what had happened the other day. We didn't have a match this weekend so I got to relax and let my face heal. The dude didn't knock me out, I held my own, he beat me by mere points. By the time the weekend was over I was so ready to get back home to Troy.

I ached for him. By the time I got off the plane, I was throbbing with excitement. Mom came home with me which was kind of a buzz kill. She expected me to stay home for the night since we got home at like eight. I told her I was going to bed early. I sneaked down my balcony and I ran over to Troy's house. I snuck in his back yard. I climbed up to his tree house.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Troy's number. I saw his light was still on. "Hello?" He answered.

"Hey babe, I just got home." I said, licking my lips.

"How was your flight?" He asked.

"Too long." I sighed. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure, what's up?"

I smirked to myself. "I think I lost an earring in your tree house, can you go look for it for me?"

"Okay, what does it look like?" He asked. I could hear him moving around.

"It's just a stud, clear gem. It looks like a diamond but it's fake." I said, sitting on his bean bag. "It's pretty cold outside so you should bring like a blanket or something."

"Okay." He said, probably absentmindedly. "Wait, why do I have to bring a blanket?"

"You should probably bring a condom too."

"What?" He asked confused. I waited until it all clicked in his head. "Oh! I'll be right out."

I laughed quietly. "You were scaring me for a minute." I smirked. "Bye Troy." I hung up the phone.

I watched him turn his light off. I waited and I heard his soft footsteps glide along the glass. I crossed my legs and he climbed up the ladder. He pulled himself up and set the blanket he was holding down. He grinned at me then his face dropped. "What the fuck happened to your face?" He whispered rushing over to me.

I shrugged. "It comes with the territory."

"You didn't tell me you had a black eye!" He sighed, touching my eye. "Does it hurt?"

"Not anymore." I said. "They put stuff on it to make it heal faster." I explained.

Troy huffed. "I want to kick that guys ass."

I laughed. "Troy, it's fine, come here." He collapsed on top of me, meeting his lips with mine. I giggled quietly, wrapping my arms around his neck. "I missed you."

"I missed you too baby." He mumbled against my lips. "I brought two blankets." He said in between kisses. "And condoms."

"Good." I said pulling away from him. He rested on his knees and I put a blanket on the floor of the tree house. I put the second blanket on top of the other. "I've been so horny since I've gotten off the plane." I said, pulling off my pants.

Troy smirked and made his way over to me. I dropped to my knees in front of him. He pulled my shirt off and grabbed his, pulling him closer to me. I kissed his lips firmly. He laid me on my back, laying on top of me. I pushed my tongue in his mouth. Troy's hands drifted south, his fingers tucking in the rim of my panties.

"Troy?" He pulled away from me quickly. We just looked at each other wide eyed. "Troy, are you out here?"

"Yeah." He replied.

"Why would you say yes?" I whispered to him.

"What the fuck are you doing out here? Where are you?" Jack said, I heard his voice getting closer.

"Gabi left something in the tree house and I was looking for it." Troy said back to his father, laying on top of me.

"In the dark?" He asked. I could hear Jack smirking.

"I have a small flashlight, I didn't want to wake you guys up." Troy said. I shook my head at him. He was a very bad liar.

Jack started laughing. "Sure, I'll believe that. Gabi, you can come inside you know?"

I winced. "W-What?" Troy stuttered.

I sighed. "You're a terrible liar Troy." I whispered to him. "I wasn't planning on staying and I didn't want to wake you guys up. Sorry Jack." I said, giving Troy a look.

"It's all good, your mom called for you. She knew you were here. She wants you to go home." Jack said.

"Alright, thanks Jack." I said. I pushed Troy off me. I pulled on my shirt.

"Goodnight." He called out.

"Night." We said quietly.

Troy put his shirt back on and sighed. "Sorry." He said, leaning over and kissing me.

"It's alright. Babe, if you're not good at lying, don't lie." I said, laughing. I leaned over and kissed his face. "A for effort."

I pulled my pants on and stood up. "Where are you going?" He asked pouting.

"I have to go home. Mom's probably pissed that I left." I licked my lips. "I can't exactly tell her, 'oh I left to go have sex with Troy' Come on babe."

He grinned and I rolled my eyes. I folded up his blankets. He put the condoms in a little hiding spot. I pulled open the door and climbed down. Troy came down with the blankets. "We'll have some alone time this week, promise." He said walking me to the gate.

I smiled at him. "You should really lock this, you never know who might come in." I smirked.

"I'll take note of that." He said, leaning in to kiss me. I wrapped my arms around his neck. "I love you."

"I love you too." I said against his lips. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight beautiful." He kissed my forehead.

"Goodnight." I gave him one last kiss and I pulled away from him. He watched me walk down the street to my house. I waved to him before I went inside of the house. I closed the door quietly behind me.

Mom was standing by the stairs waiting for me. This wasn't going to be good. "Since when do we lie to each other." She asked, crossing her arms, mom style.

"We don't." I said, rubbing my scalp.

"Why didn't you listen to me? You were going to see him in six hours" She said.

I sighed. "I just missed him." She just looked at me blankly. I licked my lips, debating if I should say this or not. "Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"I love him." I said, quietly, avoiding her eyes. She didn't say anything, she just had a big dorky grin on her face. "Oh, god."

"My baby is in love!" She wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tightly. "Did you tell him yet? What did he say? Does he love you?" She started bombarding me with questions. Thank god she got distracted so easily.

"Yes, he knows. I told him a while ago actually. He didn't say anything and I kinda freaked out… Do you remember when he had the bruise on his face?" I asked her, I don't remember if she was away or not.

"I think Lucille was telling me about that."

"I slapped him." I said, biting my lip. She laughed a little bit. "Mom! It's not funny."

"I know it's not." She said, laughing a little bit again. She covered her smile with her hand. "Continue."

I rolled my eyes. "He told me that he loves me too and now we're together."

She cooed. "I'm so happy for you. Troy's a good guy. Not like that other one-"

"Don't bring him up, please." I said, cutting her off.

"Sorry…" She trailed off. "Well go to bed. For real this time. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

I nodded. "I'm sorry too." She wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. "Love you mom."

"Love you too." She kissed my forehead and we walked up the stairs together.

* * *

Mom was home for the week and it seemed like Troy and I were never alone. We couldn't do anything at school, we couldn't do anything at home because our moms were always home. I was getting increasingly frustrated and I could tell Troy was too. Valentine's day was here and we were seriously thinking about locking ourselves in a hotel room for the weekend.

It was Valentines day. We discussed it and we weren't going to make a big deal out of it. Sharpay was having the 'best day ever' because Zeke finally asked her to be his girlfriend with a big, over the top gesture. I didn't witness it because Troy and I were practically dry-humping each other on the roof at lunch. We were getting to the breaking point in our sexual frustration. We almost skipped class to have sex on the roof, until Troy remembered he had a test.

I was now speeding home. Mom wasn't going to be home for a while so it gave Troy and I time for at least something. Troy was right behind me. I cut the engine and grabbed my things, rushing inside quickly. Troy parked at his house and was walking over. I did a quick run through of the house to make sure mom wasn't home.

Troy closed the door behind him and met me on the stairs. "We alone?" He asked.

I nodded and smiled. We rushed up stairs and he picked me up when we got to the top. I kissed his lips firmly as he held my butt. He walked into my room and kicked the door shut behind him, locking it, just in case. I had to admit he was a very good multi-tasker. He dropped me on my bed and emptied his pockets. I did the same, putting my stuff on the table beside my bed.

He started working on my pants, pulling them off swiftly. He kissed his way up my thighs. Once he was in arms reach I pulled his shirt off and he did the same to me. He kissed each of my breasts slowly as he unclasped my bra. I pulled off his belt, unbuttoning his pants. I tugged them down and he pulled away from me to kick them off.

I pulled his lips down to me, wrapping my legs around him, kissing him firmly. "I love you." I said, smiling against his lips.

"I love you too." He kissed my lips again before making his way down my neck. He nipped at my chest and I was getting ready to pull his boxers down. My phone rang. I groaned. "Don't answer it." He mumbled against my nipple.

"What if its important?" I countered. I reached over and grabbed my phone. "Hello?" I answered.

"Hi Gabrella!" I heard my brother, Aarons voice come from the other side of the line.

I pushed Troy's head away from my body. "Hey buddy, how are you?"

"I'm good, I wanted to wish you a happy balentines day." He said.

"Aw! Happy Valentines day to you. Did you give everybody a valentine?" I asked him. Troy looked at me with an annoyed expression. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Yes! I gave them to all my friends. Did you get lots of Valentines?" He asked me.

"Yes I did."

"Good, are you still coming to my birthday?" He asked me.

"Of course. It's getting close now." I said. "Look buddy, I gotta go. I'll call you soon okay?"

"Okay! Talk to you later." He said. "Love you."

I smiled softly. "Love you too buddy. Bye."

"Bye Gabrella!" He said. I hung up.

"If your phone rings again, I'm going to break it." Troy said, putting my phone back on the table.

I smirked at him. "So aggressive."

"I'm sorry, I have blue balls."

I burst out laughing. I pulled him down to me and I kissed his lips again. He pushed his tongue in my mouth, his hands coming in contact with my body again. I slipped down his boxers, wrapping my hand around him. He let out a happy groan. He was so hard, I could tell it was almost painful. I could tell he hadn't done anything to relieve himself since we had last had sex.

He wasted no time, pulling down my panties quickly. I kicked my panties off. His fingers drifted down my stomach. He dipped a finger in to make sure I was ready. Boy, was I ready. He rubbed my clit slowly, I bit my lip to keep from crying out. He wiped his finger on my sheet and he reached over and grabbed a condom. He sat up and I opened the package. I sat up and licked the tip of him swiftly. I stroked and sucked a couple times before I pulled away. I rolled the condom on him slowly. I laid back and Troy kissed my lips firmly.

He rubbed my clit slowly, lining himself up with my opening. He kissed my lips and smiled at me. "Gabi! I'm home!" I heard my mom call out. Troy and I groaned loudly in unison. His head thudded against my chest, the rest of his body collapsing on top of me. "Well that's a nice welcome home." Mom said sarcastically. I heard her footsteps thumping up the stairs. "Hi Troy." She called as she walked by my room.

"Hi Marie." He said before dropping his head back on my chest.

"Can you stop?" I asked, rubbing my collarbone, where he landed every time he put his head down.

"Sorry." He mumbled, kissing it gently.

"How was your valentines day?" Mom asked me.

"It was going pretty well." I said. Troy rolled off me, taking the condom off, throwing it away. He tossed my panties at me and pulled his boxers on. "Yours?" I asked, annoyed.

"It was fine." She said. "Do you want to go out for dinner tonight?"

"I don't know mom." I said, getting dressed. I walked into the bathroom. I came back out and Troy was gone and the door was open. I walked down the stairs.

Troy was talking to my mom in the kitchen. His eyes drifted over to me as I walked over to him. "I gotta go home, I'll call you later."

"Alright." I said, looking up at him. "I'll walk him out." I said to my mom. We walked outside and stood on my porch. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I'll talk to you later." He leaned down and kissed my lips slowly. "I'll call you."

"Bye." I said, quietly, leaning against the door. I watched him walk off before I went back inside.

"Was he alright?" Mom asked as I walked past her.

I nodded. "He's just a little… frustrated."

"Oh… Oh!" Her eyes widened a little bit. "I'm.. sorry?"

"I-" I shut my mouth shaking my head. "It's fine. I don't want to talk about it." I said quickly, blushing a little bit. "I'm going to go do my homework."

"Okay." Mom said wearily.

I rushed up the stairs quickly, saving myself from more embarrassment. I pulled my sheets and blankets off my bed. I put them in the washer without being noticed. I put clean sheets on and sighed. I started on my homework. I finished my homework about an hour and a half later. There was a knock on the door.

"Gabi.. Door." Mom called out.

I walked down stairs and saw Troy standing there with flowers. I smiled at him. I walked over to him, giving him a small kiss. "What's all this?" I asked, looking at him.

"Just a little something for you." He said, kissing me again.

I took the flowers and pulled out the little card. _'tell your mom thank you._' I looked at the card confused. I looked over at my mom. "Thank you?" I turned to Troy. "What exactly am I thanking her for?"

"For giving you life, letting us drive to Flagstaff for the weekend, and for being a wonderful mom." Troy said grinning.

It took a minute for it all to sink in. "We're going to flagstaff?" I said, looking at them confused.

"Yup." Troy said smiling. "We're leaving tonight."

I smiled, looking at my mom. "Really?"

She nodded. "Really."

I rushed over to my mom and hugged her tightly. "Thank you mom." I kissed her cheek. "I gotta pack!" I rushed up stairs, pulling out a bag. I was so excited, leaving for the weekend. I packed quickly, leaving my flowers on my bed. I ran back down the stairs. "Ready to go." I smiled, excitedly.

Troy laughed. "Calm down. We still have to eat dinner." He said, I frowned. "We're all going to my house for dinner."

I smiled. "Okay." I walked into the kitchen. I grabbed a vase and filled it up. I walked up stairs and put my flowers in the vase. I set them on my bedside table and I walked down the stairs, putting a sweatshirt on.

"You ready?" Mom asked me.

I nodded my head. Troy carried my bag and he threw it in his truck as we walked past it. "We're taking your truck?" I asked him skeptically.

"Yeah. Its like a test run. I'm going to drive it to California." He said. I made a face at him. "Why does everybody give me that look? It's not a complete piece of shit."

I laughed, kissing him quickly. "Sorry." We walked in the door and to the dining room. "Hey Bolton's." I greeted, giving his parents a hug.

"Hey Gabi." Lucy said as they hugged me back.

The food was all ready and I sat down. "Did I tell you it was mom and dads twentieth wedding anniversary tomorrow?" Troy said, looking at me.

I smiled at them. "Really? Twenty? Wow."

"Yep. I survived twenty years with this guy." Lucy joked, laughing.

"I'm not that bad." Jack said grinning.

"We got married when we were twenty, had Troy, and here we are now." Lucy said, smiling.

I smiled at them again. I wanted a love like that. I wanted to get married once, have kids and enjoy the rest of our life together. I sighed to myself as we all started eating. My mind wandered to what is going to happen after high school is over. Sure, I'll go to college but then what? Work my life away? I don't want to do that.

"So, Gabi." Jack interrupted my thoughts. "What are you and Troy going to do in Flagstaff?"

I licked my lips. "Probably go hiking, like we did last time. I don't know. I didn't even know where we were going until fifteen minutes ago." I explained. I looked over at Troy. "What are we going to do?" I asked him, smirking.

He swallowed the food in his mouth. "Hiking, we might rent bikes or something, go to the bottom of the canyon, I haven't really planned everything out. We were just going to do whatever." Troy said, looking at me.

"That's fine with me." I said, turning back to my food.

Troy and I finished eating and we got on the road. It seemed really long but we got there earlier than expected. We checked in at the hotel we stayed in. We had a reservation this time. Once we got to the room I collapsed on the bed. I was tired from the long drive. I could tell Troy was too as he walked over to me.

He laid next to me and we crawled under the covers. I kicked off my shoes and I cuddled up to him. "Goodnight baby." He said, kissing my forehead.

"Thank you for bringing me here, goodnight." I said quietly, kissing his chest. I cuddled up to him and closed my eyes.

* * *

**First of all i want to say LOL to rocklesson86. OMG your review me laugh so hard, thank you, it was great. I loved it, really. Troy and Gabi getting cockblocked. Sucks. FAL comes out tomorrow. Go check it out. Have a great weekend. i love you guys. Don't forget to review :)**


	23. Mud

"Gabi." Troy whispered in my ear. I moaned quietly, turning back to my stomach. His fingers glided along my back slowly. "Baby, wake up." He kissed my ear gently. I flicked my eyes open and looked at him. "Good morning beautiful." He leaned over and kissed the corner of my mouth.

"How are you awake before me?" I asked, wiping my face.

"I had a really dirty dream." He said, pulling me against him. His hands rested on my butt, I could feel him poking my thigh.

I laughed quietly. "I'm sorry, Tell me what happened."

"We were in the truck bed." He started. I hummed, in amusement, watching him. "You were blindfolded. You loved it." He said enthusiastically. I laughed again.

"Was that it?" I asked, rubbing his earlobe.

"Do you want me to go into detail?" He asked me, kissing my neck slowly.

"Yeah, kinda." I said, licking my lips.

He got up. "Hold on." He said. I laid back down, cuddling in the blankets. I closed my eyes. "Gabi." He called, I opened my eyes. He had a tie in his hands. He climbed up on the bed and tied the tie around my eyes.

I laughed to myself. I couldn't see a thing when he tied it. "Well what am I going to do now?" I asked. He laid me in the middle of the bed, my head resting against the pillow. He didn't answer me. "This isn't your truck bed."

"This will do." He said. His voice was far away. I sighed. I felt his hands pull off my pants. He guided me to sit up and pulled off my shirt. My bra came off next and he laid me back down. I was kind of excited. I didn't really know what was going on. I covered my boobs with my hands. He moved my hands away and put them at his side. "No touching."

"You're kidding me right? I can't even touch myself?" I asked.

"No. You can only touch me." He said.

"I can't even see you!" I argued.

"Be patient baby." Troy said, I felt his lips on mine. I kissed him back, putting my hands on the back of his head. He pulled my panties off and laid in between my legs. His mouth surrounded my nipple, he moved to the other one before kissing down my stomach slowly. I felt his hot breath against my core. I bit my bottom lip as he spread my legs further apart.

I squeezed my muscles together when his tongue ran along my opening. I let out a sharp hiss and held his head. His tongue lapped against my clit. "Troy." I breathed out. "Please." I begged quietly. I licked my lips. He plunged his tongue in me and I let out a moan. "Fuck, Troy, please." He pulled away from me. I reached around for him. "Troy?"

I felt two hands on my legs, lifting them up. He plunged deep into me and I let out a moan. "Oh fuck." Troy muttered as he pounded into me. I wrapped my legs around him and he held onto to my waist. I could already feel the pressure build up inside me. I clenched my walls around him. He groaned in appreciation. I dug my nails into his back as I released. My body shuttered from under him. My orgasm triggered his.

It wasn't a surprise this round was quick. We were so ready to go. I laughed once I caught my breath. "Our second quickie."

He took the blind fold off me and kissed my lips slowly. "I'm hungry now." He said, rolling off me. I laughed as I watched him. He took the condom off and threw it away.

* * *

We went to breakfast after we showered and got ready for the day. We hiked all the way to the bottom of the canyon. It was pretty cool. It took us a while to get back up. It felt like I'd just ran 10 miles. We got back to our room and I laid on the bed. I felt my eyes drift closed until Troy hopped on the bed with me.

"Hey baby." He said kissing my lips.

"Mmm." I turned away from him.

"You sore?" He asked.

"Yes." I replied quietly. I turned to lay on my back. Troy massaged my thighs slowly. He lifted my leg up and pressed it against my chest. He did the same to my other leg before he did both. He rested his weight against my legs and kissed my chest. "Are you having fun?"

He grinned. "Yeah."

I laughed at him as he let my legs go. "The littlest things amuse you."

"I know." Troy laid next to me. "Have you ever did it in the butt?"

"What? No! That's disgusting. You poop out of there." I turned and looked at him. "Why? Have you?"

Troy shook his head. "No, thank you." He ran his fingers up and down my stomach slowly. "Have you ever tossed the salad?"

I looked at him with a horrified expression on my face. "I'm not putting my mouth there!" Just the thought was making me feel nauseous. "I don't even want to talk about that, ugh."

He chuckled. "Sorry babe."

I licked my lips. "You know hiking wasn't the best thing to do on our sex filled weekend."

He pulled me against him. "Well I didn't really think it through."

"It's okay." I said, looking over at him. "It's fun with or without the sex." I kissed his lips slowly, his palm rested against the side of my neck. He kissed me back slowly. "You know this is what our whole summer is going to be full of."

"Sex?" He perked up.

"Yes, sex." I rolled my eyes at him. "Sex and Traveling."

"I'm excited." He said, holding my waist.

"You're very touchy." I noticed.

"Get over it." He smirked, kissing my lips. "I like touching you."

I laughed. "I see that."

"Come here." He said pulling me on top of him.

"There's really no where else I can go." I said, smirking at him.

He grinned, grabbing my butt firmly. "Good." His lips met mine for another soft kiss. "I love you, Gabi."

"I love you." I rested my head against his chest.

"Your hair is growing back" He notices, rubbing the top of my head.

"Yours is too, it looks more natural on you." I said, sitting on his lap.

"I think I'm gonna get a buzz cut." He said, touching his own hair. "We'll look like a lesbian couple with matching hair-dos."

I burst out laughing. "When we get home, can I cut it?"

"Sure why not?"

I squealed excitedly. "I always wanted to cut some hair."

Troy smiled at me. "You're cute when you're excited."

"Shut up." I rocked my hips against him, leaning down to kiss him.

* * *

After our hike we had that day all we did was eat and have sex for the rest of the weekend. It was a great 'Valentine's day present,' as Troy dubbed it. We left in the afternoon and I got to drive the truck. We were in the mountains of Arizona somewhere. Troy was playing a game on my phone and I turned off the highway. I drove down a dirt road. It was a closed camp ground. I drove all the way to the end and turned off the truck.

Troy's head shot up. "Where are we?" He asked, looking around.

"I don't know." I said, smirking.

"Well what are we doing here?" He asked, setting the phone down next to him. I shrugged my shoulders, unlatching our seatbelts. He looked out the window, I don't know what he was looking for. I turned his chin over to me. I kissed his lips slowly, grinning devilishly. The look of realization dawned on his face as he finally realized why we stopped.

I smirked at him, climbing in his lap. He pulled me closer to him and kissed my lips slowly. The slow kisses turned hungry when his fingers trailed up my shirt. He pulled it off and unhooked my bra. His lips trailed down my chest slowly. He cupped my breasts brushing his thumbs over my nipples. "You're so perfect." He mumbled and kissed over his love bites he had left from earlier in the weekend.

I unbuckled his belt. "You have to stop wearing belts." I muttered. I unbuckled his pants and he lifted his hips up. I pulled his boxers just enough for him to spring out. I stroked him slowly, kissing his lips again.

He pulled down my shorts and I kicked them off one foot so I could straddle him more easily. He opened the glove box and pulled out a condom. I closed it as Troy rolled on the condom. He got comfortable and I sank down on his erection. I kissed hungrily at his neck, lightly nipping. "Shit baby."

I pulled my lips away from his next. I kissed his lips firmly. "I want you to say my name." I whispered against his lips as I rocked against his. He grabbed my ass firmly, guiding me on him.

"Gabriella." He murmured quietly before sucking on my bottom lip. I let out a quiet moan, pushing my chest against his. I don't know what it was about that but everything just got so much more intense. "Mmm, you're so tight Gabi." I squeezed my inner walls and dragged my fingernails down the back of his arms.

He laid me on my back and got on top of me. I nibbled on his earlobe gently. He massaged my boobs as he thrusted into me. "Faster baby." I encouraged. I rubbed the hair he had on top of his head. His hands drifted to my waist as he started pounding into me. The truck rocked lightly with us, the windows fogged up.

He turned me to my side, putting one of my legs over his shoulder. I held onto the handle on the door. He kissed the inside of my knee down my thigh slowly. He rubbed my clit with his thumb. I clamped a hand over my mouth. He quickly moved it away. "No, let it all out baby. I want to hear how good I make you feel, Gabriella." My name rolled off his tongue. I squeezed my inner walls around him. He grunted as he thrust into me, releasing the pressure he built up.

He stopped and panted for a moment. I turned back to my back. I was so, so close. I closed my eyes before I knew it my legs were pressed up against my chest and his tongue was working mercilessly against my clit. He spread my opening with his thumbs and dipped his tongue inside. I shuddered slightly, grabbing onto the back of his head. He slipped one finger in, moving his mouth over the sensitive bundle.

"Oh, Troy. Fuck." I moaned, pushing his head closer to me. He slipped another finger in, pumping them in and out quickly. He curled his fingers up and I shut my eyes. My body shuddered as I squeezed my walls against his fingers. I let out a shaky breath as the orgasmic wave washed over me. He pulled out his fingers and every time he brushed against my clit my thighs shook slightly.

My surroundings started to come back to me and we realized it started raining. The rain was tapping rhythmically against the hood of the truck. "It's raining." Troy said, sitting up.

"Wanna go run naked in the rain?" I pulled my panties off, leaving me in socks and shoes.

He raised his eyebrows and pulled off his shirt. He pulled off the rest of his clothes, leaving his shoes on. We got out of the truck and ran around in the mud and the rain. He tackled me down in the mud and I laughed. He kissed my lips gently. "You know you are the only person who would ever suggest naked mud wrestling."

I laughed, shaking my head. "I didn't suggest naked mud wrestling, I said run naked in the rain." I corrected. I rolled on top of him, pinning him down. "I'd win anyways." I climbed off him and ran in the woods. Troy was close behind me.

I stopped when we saw a lake ahead of us. "That shit is going to be so cold." Troy noted. "My balls are going to shrivel up."

I snorted, covering my mouth once I did. Troy bust out laughing. I smacked his chest. "Shut up." I muttered. "come on, let's go swimming." I ran out towards the lake, dipping into the freezing water. I came back out. "oh my god!" I covered my boobs, my teeth were chattering.

Troy ran in close after me. "Fuck this, fuck." We ran quickly back to the truck and took our shoes off, hopping in. I grabbed a towel I packed and wrapped it around me. Troy turned on the truck and the heater. "Holy shit." He said, grabbing his bag, looking for warm clothes.

We put warm clothes on as the heater heated up the truck. I put long socks and boots on. I put a hoodie over my tank top and curled up on the seat, my teeth were still chattering. I buckled my seatbelt. Troy put boxers on and changed into sweats. He put a new pair of shoes on and a sweater. He turned the truck on and we drove through the mud back to the high way. I scooted closer to Troy. "That was fun."

"That was fucking cold." He mumbled. I kissed his cheek.

"I'm going to take a nice warm bath when I get home." I said, resting my head against his arm.

He sniffed. "My truck smells like sex."

I smirked, closing my eyes. "At least it was good sex." I noted.

Troy chuckled. "Very good sex."

I nodded off on the last length home. He woke me up and walked me home. My mom wasn't home so I went up straight to my room and ran my bath. I gave Troy a goodbye kiss and he left. I got into the tub for a soak before my shower. I crawled into bed after I was finished and went to sleep early.

* * *

I woke up to my phone ringing. "Hello?" I asked, half asleep.

"Hey baby." Troy said, he sounded congested.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked, sitting up. I looked at the time. It was 5:30.

"Sorry for waking you up. I don't feel well, I just wanted to tell you I'm probably not going to school." He started coughing. I frowned. "I'm going to try to go back to sleep. I love you."

"I love you too babe. I'm coming over right now." I said.

"Mmm, okay, see you later." Troy mumbled before he hung up.

I got up and got dressed quickly. I felt fine, poor Troy. I walked down the street to Troy's. I knocked on the door and Jack let me in. I walked up to Troy's room and he was faced down in his bed with his phone clutched in his hand. I sat down next to him on the bed. "Hey." I said quietly, running my fingers along his forehead. He was hot.

"Mmm, Gabi?" He asked, covering his mouth to cough.

"I think you should go to my house." I said quietly.

"Why?" He asked tiredly.

"You're sick and with the treatments your mom is getting her immune system isn't as strong as your dads. She could get really sick. Come on." I said quietly.

"I don't want her to get more sick." He said getting up. I helped him into his jacket and he slipped on some sandals. I grabbed him some clothes and he stood by the door. I sprayed some anti-bacterial around his room. I walked him out of his room and down the stairs.

We walked past Jack. "Troy isn't feeling well, I'm going to take him to my house so Lucy doesn't get sick." I explained.

He smiled. "That's nice of you."

"It's no problem. I'm sure it was my fault he's sick anyways." I said. "You can come over to check on him if you'd like. I'll leave the door unlocked while I'm at school."

"I will, thanks Gabi." Jack said. I smiled at him and lead Troy out of the door.

We walked over to my house and he got in my bed. I put his phone by my bed. I gave him some medicine and a cup of Theraflu, he drank it easily. "Thanks baby." He mumbled tiredly. I tucked him in and kissed his lips quickly.

"Call me if you need me. Go to sleep and I'll be back at lunch to check on you." I said. "Feel better."

"Mmm." He turned on his side, getting comfortable. I turned off the light and walked down stairs. I gathered my things and got into my car.

At lunch I woke Troy up to give him some more medicine. He still wasn't feeling great but he was sleeping which was a good sign. We ate a plain lunch in my bed as he rest against me. I talked about homeroom and everybody that was worried about him. He fell asleep on me after he finished his lunch. I tucked him back in and headed off to school again.

I got home and my mom was sitting on the couch. "Hey Mom" I said, closing the door behind me. I had my school stuff and Troy's homework in my arms.

"Hey baby, how was school?" She asked.

"Boring without Troy." I said, walking over to her.

"How was your weekend?" She asked.

I smiled. "It was fun. A little too much fun for Troy. He's sick."

"I know. He scared me when I walked by your room earlier." Mom laughed. "What did you guys do?"

"We played in the rain on our drive back." I said, laughing. I licked my lips. "I'm going to go check on him."

She nodded. "Alright" She said, turning back to whatever she was doing.

I walked up the stairs and set my things down on my desk. Troy was sleeping peacefully in my bed. I touched his forehead, it was cooler than this morning. I kicked off my shoes and crawled in bed with him. I wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my head against his back. He as warm and comforting. I let out a content sigh.

God, I loved him. I really, really loved him. I would have never in a million years do this for Dare Guy or Caleb; nobody but Troy. I always over heard girls and read stories about how they love everything about their boyfriends. I never really understood them until now. I loved the way his veins popped out in his arms when he flexed his muscles. I loved running my fingers through his hair when it was long. I love the way he held me. I loved the way he snored sometimes.

I never thought I'd be this engrossed with love after everything that happened. It seemed inevitable with Troy. Maybe fate was real and we were meant to be together. Or maybe this is all a big dream or façade; smoke and mirrors-just like magic. I don't know if Troy and I would last forever, I don't know if anyone could last forever. The hopeless romantic was awoken in me when I told him how I felt. God only knows how badly I wanted him to feel the same way. And he does. God bless him, he does.

"Hey baby." Troy mumbled, turning around in my arms. His eyes were still closed.

"Hey Troy." I said softly, caressing his cheek.

"Thank you." He said quietly.

I smiled, resting my head against his chest. "I'd do anything for you, and that scares me to death."

"I love you Gabriella, I don't know what I could do to make you believe me." He murmured into my hair.

"Shh, go to sleep Troy." I hushed quietly. I stroked his side, relaxing against him. "I love you too." I said quietly. "I love you too."

* * *

**Hello my little love bugs. It's been a long weekend. I felt like i haven't updated in forever. Grandparents are here and driving me crazy as usual. lol. Nothing else interesting on my part. How are y'all doing? Tell me about your lives. That was kinda creepy and weird but whatever. y'all should be used to it by now. Thank you guys for your 8 reviews. That's the most it's been in a while.  
summer1010: Thanks!  
Rocklesson86:Sorry about your dad, tht sucks :(  
Bluebell140: Im glad i can make you laugh, they sure did enjoy themselves.  
Mariatyler:Love you!  
Brittany Katniss Gabriella: haha they did a lot of "hiking" ifyouknowwhatimean ;)  
Jess:Thank you so much, that means the world to me. I'm a total amateur so thank you again.  
NinjaturtleX: ahaha right? thank you.  
Hisboo13:LOLOL OMG. i died when i read that. I love you. that's all.  
Okay, i'll see y'all thursday. Don't forget to review!**


	24. Hot

"Are you ready Gabi?" Shane asked me. I didn't answer I was finishing wrapping my hands. "I said, are you ready Gabi? God. Get your head out of your ass! Just because you have a boyfriend I didn't think you'd turn into a wimp. What happened to the fire in you?" He asked, smacking my headgear.

I looked up at him. "What the hell are you talking about Shane? Just because I lost last time doesn't mean I'm going to lose this time."

"She's a girl. A strong girl. I don't know if you can take her." Shane said honestly. "Can you find some fire? All I see is the open gas fuse."

"I can beat her. I defended my title with a KO in the third round." I shoved my hands in the gloves. "Why are you being such an asshole today?"

"Because you're being soft. Do I need to call your dad? Does he need to come down here for you to fight like I know you know how to?" He ran his fingers through his hair. "Get your shit together Gabi." He slammed his fist on the locker.

I sighed and got up. I loosed my arms moving them in circles. I shook out my legs. I was ready, so ready to go. I needed to channel my anger and focus on the fight ahead of me. I let out a breath and followed Shane out the door. We walked down the hallway in silence.

I waited for my name to be announced and I walked down the walkway and climbed into the ring. Shane gave me some water before he put my mouth piece in my mouth. Me and the girl met in the center of the ring. Shane was right, she was pretty big. I wasn't afraid of her though. I was ready.

The bell rang and I took my position. I breathed out as she came towards me. I put my fists up to cover my face and she didn't even hit me. My adrenaline kicked in so I didn't even feel it. I started hitting her with strong combinations. I dominated the first round. Once it was over I sat back down.

"That's my girl." Shane said, hitting my head gear again. "Don't get too tired now. Relax this next round. Take a couple hits if you need to. I don't want you tired out okay? You're doing great, keep it up."

I got back up and zoned in on the girl. I needed to win. I needed to prove I wasn't weak. I'm not weak. I am strong. She landed a couple of good punches but I came back strong. I knew I wasn't going to knock her out, I had to be smart. I had to land good punches and rack up the points. I used my left hook and it smacked against her cheek. She stumbled a little but she stood tall. She started coming after me. She hit me below the belt and the bell rang signaling the end of the round.

I held my stomach, and I spit out my mouth piece. Shane rushed over to me. He helped me over to my corner and picked up my mouth piece. He squirted some water in my mouth. "Just relax, I'll be right back." He walked away to go talk to the ref. I caught my breath and licked my lips. I picked up the water bottle and sucked out some water. "Fucking assholes." Shane muttered to himself. "They were saying it was a clean hit but one of the judges said it was under the belt. They're still debating on it."

"I'm okay." I assured.

"You're sure?" He asked, putting my mouth piece back in. I nodded my head.

I got back out there and fought three more tough rounds. She didn't hit me below the belt again. I didn't give her the chance to. I wailed on her for two whole rounds. The girl was getting tired. I was starting to as well but I needed to finish this fight strong. Once it hit the sixth round, I was rejuvenated. I was ready to win.

The bell sounded and we circled each other again. I stared her down and she started at me. She threw a punch and I blocked it. She threw another from her left side and it was a hard hit. I fell on the ground. I took a second to catch my breath but I got up quickly. I felt the fire burn inside of me. The ref let me take a moment. I stretched my neck muscles and I was ready to go. Once the ref gave us the OK I charged at her, landing punch after punch. I gritted down on my mouth piece, letting all fire blaze inside of me.

I stepped back for a moment to catch my breath before I started again. Before I knew it the final bell rang. I walked back to my corner, spitting out my mouth piece. "Great way to get back up." Shane said.

"She caught me by surprise." I said, opening my mouth for water. "I was so ready to beat her ass."

Shane chuckled. "Good thing you can take a punch." He pulled my head gear off before he pulled off my gloves. I ran my fingers through my very short hair, shaking the sweat off my hand. I grabbed a towel and dried myself off. Chicago was rough. They had a lot of good fighters, I was fighting one of the best in the weight division above me. It wasn't very serious but it still counted on my record for the season.

I got up when I was called and the referee held each of our wrists. We waited for them to announce a winner. I blanked out until I felt him raise my arm. A slow smile spread on my face. I won. The ref dropped my hand and the girl come over to shook my hand.

"I'm sorry about the hit below the belt. It was a total accident. Great match." She smiled at me.

"You too." I gave her a smile before walking back over to Shane.

"That's my girl. Killing them with kindness." Shane started laughing. "I'd never though I'd say that."

I smacked his chest. "Shut up."

We walked back to the room I got ready. I got changed and Shane gathered my things. "You really need to focus on working out Gabi. The next match is next weekend and it's a boy. We're going back to LA so you need to redeem yourself Gabi. Seriously, go to the gym. Let Troy work out with you." Shane said.

I nodded. "I know, I need to. I'll have him come with me. I need to build up more arm strength." I said. "And do more cardio."

"Atta girl. Let's go, your mom is waiting for you." He patted my back.

I changed my shoes and got up. I walked out the door and met my mom who was standing outside. "Every time you get hit hard you give me a heart attack and make me re-think this whole boxing thing." Mom said, hugging me. "Our flight leaves in two hours, we have to get to the airport."

"Do we have everything?" I asked.

"It's all in the rental." She confirmed. I gave Shane a hug before we walked out to the rental car.

We drove to the airport. I was tired and I hadn't taken a shower yet. It wasn't ideal but we'd be in Albuquerque soon. We ate dinner at the airport and I took a power nap, waiting to board the plane. Once we boarded the plane I buckled myself and put my headphones in, nodding off.

I vaguely getting off the plane and into the car. Before I knew it I was getting picked up and carried into the house. I opened my eyes and looked at Troy. "Hi." I said, quietly, resting my head against him.

"You were out pretty good. Your mom said you were barely coherent for the past like five hours." Troy said, kissing my forehead.

"I'm tired."

He placed me in my bed and tucked me in. "I know, go back to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow." Troy leaned down and kissed my lips.

I held onto the back of his neck. "Where are you going?"

"Home, You mom called me and asked me for help. My aunt, uncle and cousin are here, remember?" Troy said.

I pouted, shutting my eyes again. "Can't you stay a little bit?"

"No, I can't sneak back in later." He kissed my lips again slowly. "I'll be back tomorrow though, after they leave."

I sighed. "Okay, I love you."

"Love you too babe." He kissed my face all over, making me smile. "Goodnight." He said quietly as he left the room. I cuddled up against a pillow and drifted back to sleep.

* * *

I woke up bright and early because I slept so much the night before. I got changed into work out clothes and I went out for a morning run, my typical six miles. When I got back home I finished my normal work out plus an extra round of weights. I went back up stairs once I was done. Mom was reading a magazine on the couch.

"Working hard?" She asked, without looking up.

"Of course, I'm going to go take a shower."

"I think we should go out for lunch, where do you want to go?" Mom asked.

"You pick." I said, making my way up the stairs. After I showered and changed I walked back down to my mom who was ready as well. "Where did you pick?" I asked her.

"Chinese?" She offered.

"Sounds good. I'm starving." We walked out to her car. Mom drove us to the restaurant. We took a seat and ordered. "So how's work?"

She shrugged. "Work is work."

"I feel you." I said sighing. "Anything new?"

"I met a guy."

My head perked up. "What?" A wide smile spread on my face.

She looked away. "You heard me. His name is Cameron."

"Oh, what's he like?" I asked.

"He's a teacher." She said.

I blinked at her. "A teacher? Where did you meet him Safeway?"

Mom laughed. "Actually I did."

"Oh god, does he teach at East? Are you going to pull a Princess Diaries on me?" I looked at her with a horrified expression.

She laughed. "What does that even mean? No, he teaches across town. West High." I let out a breath of relief. "He's really nice."

"How long have you been talking?" I asked.

"Not long… A month or so." She said "I think I really like him."

I smiled. "Good for you mom. You deserve to have somebody make you happy."

We got our food and discussed more of this Cameron guy. I definitely wanted to meet him. From what my mom told me he was a little younger than her. He had two kids of his own, two boys CJ who was 15 and Christopher who was 12. He got divorced three years ago. He and his ex-wife were civil, the boys go to his on the weekends. They went to the moms during the week. She hadn't met them yet but he loves his kids.

By the look in her eyes I knew they were going to be something more, very soon. I finished my meal and sat back in my chair. "So how are you and Troy?" Mom asked me.

"We're good." I said, sipping my water.

"Do you still looove him?" Mom asked with a big cheesy grin on her face.

I blushed, covering my cheeks. "Can you not say it like that?"

She smiled. "Well how do you want me to say it?"

"I don't know, just not like that." I licked my lips. "And yes, I still love him."

"He loves you too."

I sighed, giving her a small smile. "I know, I don't know why. It's probably because I probably always keep him on his toes."

Mom laughed. "Maybe. Did you make a decision about March?" She asked.

"To go to dads?" Mom nodded. "Yeah. Me and Troy are going for Aaron's birthday."

"How do you think that will work out?" She asked me.

I shrugged. "It should be okay if he doesn't talk to me."

"It'll be pretty hard for him not to."

"I'll just have Troy talk to him, keep him occupied." I said. "Ready to go?"

She nodded. "Yeah, let's go."

Mom and I were back at home. She was going to the grocery store and I was reading in bed. I hummed to myself as my eyes scanned the book. I was finishing the last story in the Early Works of Shakespeare book. I had a whole bookshelf of books. I read most of them but there were a couple I hadn't got to yet.

"Cannon Ball" I heard Troy said and he jumped on top of me. I squealed in surprise. He took my book from me and pinned me down.

"How did you even get in my house?" I asked him.

"The door was unlocked." He shrugged. He leaned down and kissed my lips slowly. "I forgot to ask you, how was your fight?"

"Pretty good." He laid next to me. "I won."

"Good, I missed you." Troy looked at me with his bright blue eyes. I stared at his eyes for a minute. He looked at me confused. "What?" I spread his eyelids open, looking at his iris. "What the hell are you doing Gabi?"

"I'm looking at your eyeball, now shut the fuck up." I studied the way the colors in his eyes faded together. They were beautiful, even if this was the most un-romantic thing in the world. I released his eye. "I never noticed all the different colors."

He batted his eyelashes. "I'm just so beautiful."

I laughed, pushing his face away. He licked my palm and I squealed. "Gross!" I wiped it on his shirt. "You're disgusting."

"You don't complain when my tongue is in other places." He mumbled against my ear. My thighs tingled and I turned away from him. "I have a surprise for you tonight."

I turned around and looked at him. "Hm, what's that?"

"It's called a surprise for a reason baby." He kissed down my neck. "All you have to do is look pretty. Which reminds me, I have to go."

I frowned. "You just got here."

"I know, I'll be back soon." He crawled over me and kissed me. "Be ready by seven."

"Sure." I said. "See you later." He grinned as he ran out of the room.

"Gabi! Come down here." I heard my mom call me shortly after. I walked down the stairs. "There are more groceries in the car." Mom said.

I walked to the door and opened it. I saw a man standing there with flowers. I grinned. "Uh, hi. You must be Gabriella. Is Marie in?"

"You must be Cameron. She's in the kitchen." I let him and while I got the rest of the groceries. I brought them in and saw my mom and Cameron making out in the kitchen. Full on, full blown making out. I smirked to myself. "There's a bed upstairs you know."

They jumped apart. My mom wiped her mouth. "Ah, sorry, Gabi. This is Cameron."

I grinned knowingly at her. "I know, I let him in." I started putting the groceries away.

"Oh, I've got it honey. You can go upstairs and relax." Mom said, waving me off.

I smirked. "Well Troy is going to pick me up at seven. I don't know when I'll be back."

"Ah, I was going to ask your mother to come to my place for dinner?" He looked hopefully at Mom. I nodded my head furiously while Cameron's back was turned to me.

She smiled up at him. "Yes, of course."

"Well then, I'll see you tomorrow." I smirked at them and made my way up the stairs. "Nice to meet you Cameron!"

"Nice to meet you too." He yelled up after me. I laughed to myself and picked up my book and hopped back on the bed. I read my book until I had to get ready for my dinner with Troy.

* * *

I put a necklace on and some heels. My dress was flow-y, resting at mid-thigh. My heels were pretty tall. Hopefully we weren't going anywhere stupid. My mom called me down and I grabbed my purse. I walked down the stairs. Troy was dressed nicely, calming my anxiety about my clothes. I smiled at him and kissed his lips.

"You look so hot." He grinned at me.

I rolled my eyes. "You look handsome."

"Thanks." Troy kissed me again, slower this time. "You ready to go?"

"Obviously." I smirked at him.

"Bye Marie, Bye guy who's kissing my girlfriends mom." Troy yelled as we walked out of the house.

I laughed at him. "His name is Cameron. He's her boyfriend I guess. He's nice."

Troy spanked me as he helped me into his truck. "I wasn't lying when I said you look hot."

"Just get into the truck." I said, closing the door. I crossed my legs, letting my dress ride up a little bit.

He hopped into the truck and looked at me and sighed. "You're killing me Gabi."

"Where are we going?" I asked, pulling down my dress.

"You'll see." He said, turning the truck on. I looked out the window. We were about to pass the back side of East. He slowed down and parked across the street.

I looked around. "What's over here?"

"Gabi, stop talking and come on." He instructed, hopping out of the truck. I rolled my eyes and did the same, hiding my purse under the seat. I walked over to Troy and we ran across the street. He pulled out a key and unlocked the door.

"Are we seriously breaking and entering?" I whispered.

"Yeah." He said, pulling me in. He closed the door behind me and we walked down the hallway quickly. It was dark in the building but Troy seemed to know where he was going. Once he opened a set of doors to a stairwell I knew exactly where we were going. He opened the second set of doors leading me up to the roof.

"We're having dinner at school?" I asked.

He lead me over to the other part of the roof, a wide open area surrounded by different kind of plants. He pulled out a lighter and lit the candles. "A romantic, candle-lit dinner at one of our spots." He clarified.

I smiled and took a seat. "I really want to know what you made."

"Pizza rolls" He said grinning.

"Seriously?" I asked raising my eyebrows.

He rolled his eyes. "No. Shane called me, telling me to stop making you eat junk." He uncovered two salads.

"When did Shane get your number?" I asked, raising my eyebrow. I licked my lips and picked up my fork.

"I gave it to him when he came here." Troy said. He put two bottles of water on the table. "For you, my love." I smiled at him, letting the fluttering feeling pass. I picked up my water, taking a sip. I recapped my water and set it down. I walked over to him and sat on his lap. I kissed his lips slowly. "Mmm, you're not hungry?"

I shook my head and kissed his lips slowly. I turned to straddle his lap, I rocked my hips against his. "I don't want salad." I said quietly, against his lips. He stood up and sat me down. I sighed. He blew out the candles clearing off the table quickly.

Troy turned to me, his eyes glazed over with lust. He kissed my lips firmly, moving his hands up my dress, pulling down the panties I was wearing. He picked me up, transferring me to the table. I started on his buttons. "Leave them." He husked, moving my hands to his pants.

I undid his pants quickly pulling them down with his boxers. He pulled a condom out of his pocket and handed it to me. I ripped it open with my teeth, rolling it on slowly. Troy turned me over, lifting my dress up. I held onto the table as he entered me from behind. He grabbed my elbows holding my arms behind my back. I laid my body against the table, resting my heels on the ground. He pounded into me, holding my arms back. I cried out as he went deeper.

He let go of my arms and grabbed a hold of my ass. "Fuck baby." He smacked my ass firmly, the sting of his palm was kind of hot. I let out a moan. He chuckled. "I forgot you like getting spanked." He smacked my ass again, hitting the same spot. I hissed, arching my back. I rested my forearms on the table and gripped the edge.

He pulled out and kissed my ass cheek. He bit on it firmly, spanking the other side. "Mmm, Troy." I moaned. He kissed down the back of my thigh, swiftly licking along my opening. He sucked on my clit for a second before he stuck it back in without any warning. "Oh, shit. Fuck me Troy." I gripped the table tighter.

Troy pounded into me, hitting all the right spots from this angle. I felt my legs starting to shake, I could barely hold myself up. He speeded up as I reached my climax, squeezing my walls around him. He slowed down as he came, his fingers digging into my hips. He pulled out. I turned around to face him. He took off his condom and threw it in the trash bag he had. I sat on the table, crossing my legs. I smoothed my dress down. Troy put his pants back on and sat in the chair in front of me. "Damn." He said quietly. I couldn't have said it better myself.

* * *

**Sorry it's up so late. This one is for princess tricia, if you're still out there. (: See y'all tomorrow. Don't forget to review :)**


	25. Tournament

I hadn't been deliberately avoiding Sharpay after our dinner disaster. I just spent most of my time with Troy and his friends. Sometimes Sharpay was with Zeke and sometimes Zeke went up and sat with Sharpay. As far as Chad told me Taylor was still on the fence about going out with him again. I think she is just playing him, that poor guy. Troy and I were as great as ever. We hadn't had much alone time together but when we did we were always out and about doing something.

We went back to laser tag and go-karts. We even went to mini golf. I let myself take a little boxing break because I had redeemed myself in LA. I almost knocked out the guy I was boxing. Shane was really proud of me. It was Friday before the second weekend of March, two weeks until Aarons birthday.

I closed my locker after I grabbed everything I needed for the day. "Gabriella!" Sharpay bellowed from the other side of the hall way. It made me jump. I turned to see her come stalking toward me.

I looked at her confused. "Are you alright?" I asked.

"No, I need girl time. Can we talk?" She begged.

"Yeah, sure. Do you want to come to my house?" I offered, she nodded. "I'll meet you there okay?"

Shar nodded and walked off. I walked to my car and drove home. Troy saw me pull up and ran over to me. He opened the door for me. "Hey baby." I got out of my car and he kissed my lips slowly. "What are we doing today?"

"Actually Sharpay's coming over, so you can go hang out with Chad." I leaned against the car. "You guys were talking about playing basketball the other day."

Troy nodded. "Yeah, I'll go call him. Have fun with Sharpay." He smirked. I rolled my eyes at him and kissed his lips slowly. "I'll see you later."

"I love you." I mumbled against his lips.

"I love you too." He gave me one last kiss before he walked away.

Sharpay pulled up and he waved to her. She got out of her car and we walked inside my house. My mom wasn't home for the weekend. I lead her to my room and she sat down on my bed. "What's up." I asked her, putting my school stuff on my desk.

"How did you know you were ready to have sex?" She asked, looking up at me.

"The first time, or with Troy?"

"Uh… both?" She looked nervous, uncomfortable. It wasn't like Sharpay to be so… insecure.

"Well, the first time was just the worst experience I've ever had. I mean, the guy was an asshole. He tired to be 'gentle' with me. It still hurt like a bitch. I would say I wasn't ready to have sex because the guy only went out with me because he was dared to." I rolled my eyes at all of this. "But with Troy, it just kind of happened. We were in Arizona, we were eating ice cream on the balcony of the hotel room we were staying in. He had ice cream on his face and I licked it off. I guess that made him horny? I don't know and we just did it."

She thought about this for a moment. "Do you think I should wait?"

"I'm not an expert at all of this. I remember Troy telling me that Zeke was going to France after school is over. Do you really want to give it up and then not know when you're going to see him again?" I suggested. "But I mean if it feels right then…" I shrugged.

"That's why I'm so confused! We've only going out for a couple of weeks. He hasn't been pressuring me to have sex or anything but I kind of just want my first time to be over with." She said.

"Well just let it all play out. If it happens, it happens. If not then that's okay too." I crossed my legs.

She looked around my room. "What is it like?"

I laughed. "I don't know, I can't explain it." I thought for a minute. "Do you masturbate?"

"What?" She yelled, her cheeks turning red.

"Do you touch yourself? Stick a finger in there… rub your-"

"I get it!" She said cutting me off. She huffed out a breath. "I think I did once… but I probably did it wrong."

I tried not to laugh. "Did you orgasm?" She stared at me blankly. "I guess I'm ruling out oral for you and Zeke."

"We haven't done anything… sexual." She said.

"Well each experience is different than the last. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's amazing. Like you get so horny just thinking about it." I laughed. This was so awkward. She looked at me skeptically. "Really, sometimes I get really wet just thinking about-"

"Okay, alright." She cut me off again. "As much as I love you. I don't need to hear about you and Troy's sex-capades."

"You asked." I said shrugging.

"On second thought, I kind of do… Where have you done it?" She asked, smirking.

"My bed." She made a face. "Shut up, I wash the sheets. His bed. In his Truck. Flagstaff. In Vegas… we had a lot of sex in Vegas. He tried to finger me under the table at dinner."

Sharpay gasped. "You little slut! Where else?"

"We did it at school…. On the roof." I licked my lips. "I don't know how but Troy had a key. He set up dinner on the roof. It's kind of our little spot. Let's just say we didn't eat much dinner."

"When was this?" She asked, smirking.

I laughed. "Last Sunday… I think I still have a bite mark on my ass." I got up and pulled down my yoga pants to show her.

"Oh my god! You do! I don't know if I can ever look at Troy the same way again." I sat back down on the chair. She looked like her brain just blew up. "I think I'm on sex overload right now."

"You're on sex-talk overload. If you were on sex overload, you wouldn't be complaining." I smirked, crossing my legs.

"Your poor vagina…." Sharpay trailed off and we looked at each other for a moment before bursting out laughing.

"Shut the fuck up." I jumped on the bed next to her.

"So do you and Troy do naked Skype dates?" I looked at her confused. "Like go on the computer… naked."

"He lives four doors down from me. I'd rather go over there and have a quickie." I looked over at my TV. "What are you doing tomorrow?"

"I don't know why?"

"I'm going to have a party. Not like a big party. Just us, the guys, maybe Taylor. We can play strip Mario Kart." I suggested, getting up to grab my phone.

"Strip Mario Kart?" She asked, confused.

"Fuck yes. Do you have a Wii?" She nodded. "Bring controllers, we can play four at a time." I picked up my phone and called Troy.

"Hello?" He answered.

"Call your friends. We are having a strip Mario Kart Tournament at my house tomorrow. Love you bye." I hung up on him before I sat back down on the bed. I looked over at Sharpay, she was staring at me. "What?"

Sharpay smiled widely at me. "You love him."

"Oh god, not you too." I put a pillow over my face.

* * *

Sharpay left later and I was finishing up my homework. There was a knock on my balcony window. "Come in." I yelled. I heard the doors open then close. "What's up?" I asked, my back turned to who I assumed was Troy.

"We're having a Strip Mario Kart tournament tomorrow?" Troy asked, putting his hands on my shoulders.

"Yes, it will be fun." I said, tilting my head back to look at him. He gave me a Spiderman kiss and I turned back to my homework. "Did you call your friends?"

"Yeah. Chad's coming. I don't know about Taylor. Zeke and Sharpay are a yes. Jason is bringing his new mystery girl." Troy said. "It's supposed to be a low key party, right?"

I nodded. "Right. Fucking Taylor better come. She needs to loosen up." I finished the last of my homework and turned around in my chair. "How was your day?"

"Good, I beat Chad at basketball." He grinned. "But what else is new."

He pulled me up before walking over to my iPod. "Are we going to make a 'dance to Mayday Parade date' one day out of the month?" I asked, watching him.

"I don't know about Mayday Parade, but I like dancing with you." He said, still searching through my music player. "Even if it's the corniest song ever. Hell, there doesn't even have to be music." He started a song and plugged it in.

Troy made his way back to me. I smiled when I recognized the song. "How are we supposed to dance to this?" I asked, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Like this." He said, putting his hands on my waist. We danced slowly to Yellowcard's 'Only One'. The song changed to the next and we danced through a Switchfoot song. Troy pulled away from me slowly and picked up the iPod, disconnecting it from the speakers. "I want you to pick a song."

I took it. "Okay." I started searching through the device.

"I've never heard you sing." He said, watching me.

"And you're never going to." I said, smirking.

"Come on, I know there's a song bird in there." I looked at him and he smirked right back at me. "Sing me a song."

"We'll see." I said, turning my attention back to my iPod.

Troy chuckled. "You know what. Instead, let's play a game."

I sat next to him. "What kind of game?"

"Surprise me and pick a song you think I wouldn't think you would have in your iPod." Troy suggested.

"Easy." I flicked through my iPod and picked a song. I walked over to the dock and I put the device on the speakers. I started dancing to the music.

"_She said I'm going out with my girlfriends.  
__Margaritas at the Holiday Inn.  
__Lord have Mercy.  
__My only thought was Tequila makes her clothes fall off.  
__I told her put an extra layer on.  
__I know what happens when she drinks Patron.  
__Her closets missing half the things she bought  
__Yeah, Tequila makes her clothes fall off."_

I turned it off because Troy was laughing at me. "What? I shake my ass to this song."

Troy smiled, calming himself down. "I see that." He let out a short chuckle.

"Why are you laughing at me?" I asked, my hands on my hips.

"Because you're hilarious. Come on, sing me a song." He said, looking at me.

"Why don't you sing me a song?" I asked smirking.

He popped up. "Okay, I have no shame." I crawled back on my bed, watching him. "Let's search. Okay." He cleared his throat and put the iPod back on the dock. The song started playing and I watched him intently.

_"He woke up from dreaming and put on his shoes,  
__Started making his way past two in the morning  
__He hasn't been sober for days.  
__Leaning now into the breeze  
__Remembering Sunday, he falls to his knees."_

I giggled at him and he stopped singing. "What? Why are you laughing?"

I shook my head, trying to hide my smile. "No reason. Keep going."

"No I'm done."

I pouted. "Come on, baby. Please?"

"No. It's your turn." He said, sitting back down.

I sighed. "Fine." I got up and picked a song quickly. I started playing it and turned to face Troy. I took a deep breath.

"_I am outside and I've been waiting for the sun  
__With my wide eyes, I've seen worlds that don't belong  
__My mouth is dry with words I cannot verbalize  
__Tell me why we live like this.  
__Keep me safe inside  
__Your arms like towers, tower over me.  
__Cause we are broken.  
__What must we__ do to restore  
__Our innocence a__nd all the promise we adored  
__Give us life again cause we just want to be whole."_

I stopped and Troy was just staring at me. I blinked at him. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

He chuckled. "No, come here." I turned off the music and crawled in bed with him. "You never stop surprising me Gabriella Montez." He wrapped his arms around me.

"That's me. Full of surprises." I said sarcastically.

"Seriously baby. You have an amazing voice. Wait until Sharpay hears it." He said, kissing the top of my head. I turned to kiss his lips.

"Why?" I asked, laying my head in his lap.

"She's all into the acting and the singing and the drama." He said. "I'm sure she'd go into dramatics about your voice."

I laughed. "That sounds like Sharpay but she's never going to hear it because I don't sing in front of people."

"You sang in front of me." He argued.

"You're not people."

Troy chuckled. "What am I then? A goose?"

"Sometimes." I said, smiling.

He chuckled and shook his head. "Gabi, Gabi, Gabi."

"Troy, Troy, Troy." I mimicked. I smacked him with a pillow and he pushed me off the bed. I scoffed and popped back up. I tackled Troy, wrestling with him on the bed.

* * *

Everybody was coming today around noon. We were just going to chill at my house. I was cleaning up down stairs before everybody came over. I looked through cabinets for food. I didn't know what to take out, I've never had a party before. I sighed. I guess I'll just let them raid my fridge. I heard somebody knock at my door. I walked over to my door and Troy was standing there with a big grin on his face.

"You look creepy." I said, letting him in.

"Hello to you too." He kissed my lips firmly. "I love you."

"I love you too. Why are you in such a good mood?" I asked, smirking.

"I get to see your boobs today when I kick your ass at Mario Kart." He said, pulling me against him.

"You get to see my boobs all the time." I said, pushing him away. "I've never had like a party before. Does everything look okay?" I asked.

He nodded. "The more important question is what do you have to eat. You invited Chad. I hope you stocked up."

I laughed. "I have a whole bunch of food I don't eat, so you guys can eat it."

"Are we going to take the Wii down here?" He asked, looking at me.

I shrugged. "I don't know, should we?"

"Probably there'd be more room." He said. "I'll go get it."

My doorbell rang. "Thank you baby." I said as I walked to the door. "Hey Shar, Zeke. Welcome." I let them in.

"Hey Gabs." Zeke said. I gave him a quick hug.

"Troy's upstairs but he'll be down in a minute. Seriously, make yourself at home. You can eat anything, I promise I won't flip a shit." I said.

Zeke laughed. "Alright, thanks." He sat down on the couch.

Sharpay stood with me. "Are we seriously going to play strip video games?"

"Fuck yeah, why not? Is Zeke down to play?" I asked.

She laughed. "He's more excited than I am."

"Good." I walked back over to the door and let Chad and Taylor in. I welcomed them. Jason came a couple minutes after holding the hand of Kelsi, Sharpay's friend. I kind of choked when I saw her. "Kelsi?"

"Hey Gabi." She said shyly, following Jason in.

"Well come in, everybody is in the living room." I said, closing the door behind them. Sharpay was going to flip out.

I followed them into the living room where everybody sat comfortably. Everybody went quiet when Jason and Kelsi walked in. I walked over to Troy and sat in his lap. "Kelsi?!" Sharpay spoke up. "I thought you and Ryan were dating!"

Kelsi shook her head. "No, we're just friends."

I looked at Troy. "What should I say?"

"Do you guys wanna play strip Mario Kart?" He blurted out.

"What?" Somebody said, I think it was Taylor.

"Strip Mario Kart… It's like Strip Poker, but more fun. OH We can have us girls play against each other and whoever gets down to their underwear first loses. Then the guys can play and the final two girls and two guys can play until they get to their underwear." I said.

"Fuck, I'm down." Chad said. "Let's do it."

"Me too!" Jason said.

"I'll do it." Kelsi said, surprising us all.

"Sweet, Taylor?" I looked at her.

She had a nervous look on her face. "Okay, sure."

I looked over at Troy. "Sharpay and Zeke?" They nodded. "Guys, we're up first." Troy turned on the TV and Sharpay handed me the extra remotes.

"Do you guys want a drink?" I asked the girls. "Let's go into the kitchen for a minute."

The girls followed me to the kitchen. "This is such a cute house Gabi." Taylor said.

"Thank you. My mom is good at picking houses. She's really picky about it so it works." I opened the fridge. "You can have anything you'd like."

They each took something and we sat down at the table. "So when did you and Jason become a thing?" Sharpay asked.

"A couple months ago. We just talked until recently. I mean we were scared about our cliques and stuff but now that we are connecting, I shouldn't be a problem anymore." She explained.

"That's cool, but what about Ryan?" I asked, curiously.

She bit her lip. "I'm surprised Sharpay doesn't know and I didn't want to say this in front of the guys but Ryan is gay."

Sharpay gasped dramatically. "No! and he didn't tell me?! I'm his TWIN!"

"He didn't want you to flip out about it." She said, awkwardly.

Sharpay shut her mouth instantly. "I'm not freaking out. I'm fine."

"We should go check on the boys." I said.

They followed me to the living room again and I sat down on the couch. Zeke already had his shirt off. They were starting round two. "We decided we would do it two races at a time, to keep things interesting." Troy said.

"Alright." We watched the second race and Jason lost, he kicked off his shoes.

The girls got up and we just kept the same characters. We played our two races and Sharpay lost both. We sat back down on the couch. "I suck at this game!" She said, pouting.

"You have to focus on your screen." I said, nudging her. She was in a bra and her jeans. Her heels were long gone. Obviously Sharpay was going to be gone soon, I wondered who was going to be next.

After about an hour, Sharpay was out but Taylor and Kelsi switched off for losing. I was still fully clothed. For the boys Jason was gone and Chad was about to loose. They did have more clothes then we did so they started doing three at a time.

The guys were so competitive it was pretty even unlike us girls. I was kicking all of their asses. The boy's were finished and Kelsi, Taylor and I got up. We played one game and Taylor finally lost. "Are we ready for the championships?" I asked Troy and Chad.

"Can we put our clothes back on?" Taylor said.

I laughed. "Yeah, go ahead." I stood at the end of the line. I was player one. "Let me whoop all of your asses." I said smirking at them. "Oh, wait let me get my water." I said, running into the kitchen. I came back and everybody was quiet. "What?"

"Nothing." Troy said from next to me.

"Alright, you ready?" I asked. We started the game. Kelsi was the first out. The guys tag teamed me and I took off my shoes and my shirt. I still had socks and pants. Troy got kicked out next. Chad and I were fighting to the finish. He beat me and I took my pants off and sighed.

Once we were all clothed again, We moved into the kitchen where Zeke was making something out of whatever I had in my cabinets. I was sitting in Troy's lap. He was talking to Kelsi about something and I was watching all of my friends talk to each other. It was nice to actually have all of these people I could call friends. I never thought I would open up to people like this. Having friends was so much better than being alone anyway.

I smiled to myself and I felt Troy's lips on my neck. "Why are you smiling like that?" He mumbled.

I looked over at him. "I'm just happy." I said, smiling at him.

"Good." He ginned at me, kissing my lips slowly.

"Gross. Go upstairs to do that." Somebody shouted throwing something at us. Troy and I pulled away laughing.

* * *

**Another rousing game of strip mario kart. lol. Lemme know what you think. Love you all. Don't forget to review.**

**_Tequila makes her clothes fall off- Joe nichols  
Remembering Sunday- All Time Low  
We are Broken- Paramore_******


	26. Aaron

I was getting more nervous as we approached the departure date to go back to my dads. I had already promised Aaron I was going to go and I already bought him a bunch of cool presents but I was getting cold feet. I didn't know what to expect from this trip. Troy being with me was already helping me out a lot but I was still unsure.

Troy came over after school and we were packing my car for the trip. We were actually flying this time. We couldn't make a get away in the car like we could last time. I had so many frequent flyer miles Troy didn't even have to pay. I sat in the car waiting for my mom. Cameron was coming with us to the airport. He didn't have his boys yet.

Troy and I were in the back. Cameron was sitting in the front seat. "So Cameron, what do you teach?" I asked him. I've never talked to him one on one.

"English and Spanish." He said.

"Troy wants to be an English teacher." I said, looking over at Troy. "He can't spell for shit though."

"Gabi!" Troy said, giving me a look.

Cameron laughed. "It's okay, I can't either. My kids always make fun of me for it but I always remind them that I'm the one grading their papers."

"Touché" I said, nodding. "There she is, what the hell was she doing in there?" I asked, sitting back in my seat.

"Sorry, sorry." Mom said, getting in the car. "We ready?"

"Yep." Troy answered.

Mom started driving. "Do you think this time will be better than last time?"

"Hopefully…" I said, trailing off.

"What happened last time?" Cameron asked.

"Troy and I drove down there. We got there, I yelled at him, and we left." I said.

Troy nodded. "Very accurate."

"I hate my dad." I explained.

He looked over at my mom. "She's not kidding." Mom said. "She loathes him."

"Why?" Cameron asked, looking back at me.

"Because he's a dick."

"Gabriella!"

"What? it's true" I leaned against Troy.

Cameron just chuckled. "Marie, you raised one hell of a girl." He put his hand on top of hers.

I kissed Troy's ear. "Look how cute they are."

Troy grinned at me, kissing the top of my head. We pulled into the airport and checked our stuff in. They were going to go pick up his kids so they were leaving us be. I hugged my mom. "Be nice, Gabi."

"I'll try, I love you." I said.

"I love you too." She kissed my forehead.

I walked over to Cameron and I gave him a hug, taking him by surprise. "Take care of my mom."

"I will." He said, rubbing my back. I pulled away from him and walked back over to Troy. "Have a safe flight!"

"Thank you!" Troy called out and we walked through security.

We found our gate and sat down. "What do you think of Cameron?"

"He's a nice guy." Troy said. "He's good for your mom." I put my knee on top of Troy's. He rubbed my knee gently.

"He is, isn't he?" I said quietly.

* * *

We landed in Phoenix an hour after we boarded the plane. We took a shuttle to the hotel we were staying at and we checked in. We got settled and let our parents know that we had arrived safely. We went to bed shortly after. I woke up when Troy got up to pee. I stretched out, waiting for him to come back. He walked back over tiredly, getting back in bed. I rolled over to face him and kissed his lips gently.

"Good morning." I said, leaning against him.

"How are you always in such a good mood in the morning?" He grumbled tiredly.

I shrugged. "I've always been a morning person. Let's go get some breakfast, okay?"

Troy nodded. We got dressed and went down to breakfast. We ate and came back upstairs. We got ready for the day. Troy called a cab for us and we waited downstairs with all of the presents we got him. I told the cab driver the address and we got to my dad's house. Troy paid the driver and I watched him drive away. I sighed to myself.

"You alright baby?" He asked, rubbing my back.

I nodded. "I'm really doing this aren't I?" I asked, sighing.

"Yes, you can. Remember you're here for your brother. You won't have to talk to your father." Troy assured. I turned to face him and he kissed me gently. "Come on."

We walked up to the door and I pressed the doorbell. "Gabi." My dad breathed out when he answered the door.

"Hello again, Mr. Montez." Troy said.

"Troy, hello." He said looking at him. He opened the door. "Come in, come in." I followed Troy inside. "Everybody is outside." My father said.

Troy and I followed him outside. I had nervous butterflies in my stomach. I walked over to the presents table and I set down the gifts. "Gabriella! Hi!" Phoebe said rushing over to me. She hugged me and this time I hugged her back. "Look at you. You look beautiful."

I gave her a soft smile. "Thanks. I bet you're wondering about my hair. Troy's mom has cancer. We did it for a support thing." I explained.

"How nice of you. Let's go find Aaron, he's been asking for you all morning." Phoebe grinned. "He's saying where's Gabrella? Where's my sister? It's the cutest thing. Aaron!" She called out. There was a big bounce house in the corner of the yard.

A dark haired boy climbed out of it. He looked more like Phoebe than our dad. "Yeah mommy?" He asked, running over. He turned to look at me and Troy. "Gabrella!" He ran over to me and hugged my legs.

I smiled and knelt down to his level. "Hey buddy!"

"You came!" He said excitedly, giving me a proper hug. I picked him up and squeezed him tightly.

"Of course I came, I promised. I'd like you to meet somebody special. This is Troy, can you say hi to Troy?" I said, putting him down.

Aaron gave Troy a hug. "Hi Troy, I'm Aaron!"

"Nice to meet you buddy." Troy said grinning.

"Gabrella, can you play with me?" Aaron asked.

"How about you call me Gabi? It's much easier." I said. "Of course I'll play with you, only if Troy can come too."

"Okay!" He said excitedly, running over to the bounce house.

"Ready to bounce?" I asked Troy.

He ran over to the bounce house, kicking off his shoes. He climbed into the bounce house. I laughed and ran in after him, kicking off my shoes. I held Aarons hand as we bounced. "Gabi! Look what I can do!" Aaron said, bouncing up and down. He fell to his butt and bounced back up.

"That's great buddy!" I said smiling. "Watch this." Troy made him back up. I jumped up and down. I did a flip and landed perfectly.

"Wow!" Aaron said, grinning. "Can you teach me how to do that?"

"I will one day buddy. Troy and I are going to go get a drink okay?" I asked.

"Alright." He happily bounced.

I climbed out of the bounce house, putting my flats back on. I walked over to the tables and I sat down. Troy followed me over there. "Are you alright?" He asked, rubbing my knee.

A huge group of kids came rushing over to the bounce house. A group of parents followed, chatting quietly. "Yeah, I'm okay." I said, letting out a breath.

"Are you sure?" He asked, looking at me.

I nodded. "First, I was jealous. I was jealous of a five year old. He has two loving parents, a nice house to grow up in… he's going to have a great childhood. I wished I had all of that. I wished I wasn't shipped back and forth. But now I'm so happy for him." I said honestly. "He doesn't deserve to have a childhood like I did… no one does."

"You're right." Troy said, kissing the side of my head. "No one does."

I leaned against Troy, we were talking quietly. Occasionally people would come sit by us and have a nice chat. My dad hadn't come over yet which was surprising. "Can you get me a water, babe?" I asked, looking over at him.

"Sure." He said, getting up.

I watched Aaron jump around with his friends. Somebody sat down next to me. "Which one is yours?" A familiar voice asked me. I turned to see who it was. My body stiffened. It was my Aunt Carmen, better known as raging bitch. She didn't recognize me.

"None of them. My brother is here." I said, looking at her. She gained at least 20 pounds, her hair was still gorgeous though.

"Birthday boy is my nephew. He's such a sweetheart, Aaron." Carmen said.

I licked my lips and we stared at each other for a minute. "You really don't recognize me Carmen?" I asked her, she just looked confused.

"Here you go Gabi, who's this?" Troy said, taking his original place.

"My Aunt Carmen." I said dryly.

A look of recognition came over her face. "Gabriella." She said quietly.

"The one and only." I said, taking a sip of my water.

"Look at you. It's been years." She said, studying me.

"Twelve." I said, closing my water bottle.

Carmen nodded. "Right, right. You had such beautiful hair… you cut it all off?"

"Yeah, Troy's mom has cancer. I did it for support." I said, pointing over at Troy. "This is Troy, my boyfriend. Troy, Aunt Carmen."

"Nice to meet you." Troy said.

"You too." She said. "You're finally talking to your father, huh?"

"No I'm not." I said.

Carmen looked at me confused. "But you're in his house."

"I'm here for Aaron, not for him." I said.

She shook her head. "When are you going to forgive him? He's your father. He has a right to be in your life."

I felt my anger bubbling up. "Well maybe because he cheated on my mother and left us. He may have helped created me but he is not a dad to me. He has no right to be in my life, he gave it up when he walked out on us."

"Your mother made him leave, you know." Carmen said.

"Well him, my mom and his whore couldn't all sleep in the same bed, could they?" I asked, getting up. I knocked my chair over, walking away.

"Gabi! Gabi!" I heard Aaron calling me. I turned around. "Are you leaving?" He asked.

"No buddy. I'm just going inside." I said, giving him a forced smile. "Go play."

He nodded and ran back to his friends. I walked inside the house and dad was standing in the kitchen, eating. Dad saw me but I walked right past him. "You aren't leaving, are you?" Dad asked right as I got to the door.

"No." I said, opening the front door. "Your sister is being her normal bitchy self so I'm getting away from her before my anger gets the best of me." I said, walking out. I sat on the swing on the porch.

The door opened and Troy came out. "Hey." He said quietly as he sat next to me.

"Hi." I said quietly. I leaned against his arm. We sat there quietly. We didn't have to say anything. I just enjoyed his company. "I love you." I said, looking over at him. "Thank you for putting up with me."

"I'd do anything for you." He said, kissing my hand gently. "Do you want to go back inside?"

I nodded. "Okay." I got up and we walked inside. We walked past the kitchen.

"There you are! We're about to eat!" Phoebe said, leading us outside.

Troy and I made a plate and sat away from everybody. "Are you sad you're not leaving for college in May?" Troy asked quietly.

I shook my head. "Not really. I'd rather spend as much time as I can with you." I said, looking at him.

"We're going to see each other all the time." Troy said, taking a drink of his soda.

"Not necessarily. You'll have school, homework, basketball. I'll have school, homework, boxing and probably another job. I don't know when I'm going to have time to eat, let alone visit you." I said honestly, looking at him.

I could tell by the look on his face, this isn't what he wanted to hear. He was disappointed. He picked up our empty plates to go throw them away. I sighed to myself and I took another drink of water. Troy came back and stood next to me. "They're doing cake. Aaron is asking for you." Troy said.

"Okay." I got up and Troy started walking away. I took his hand and pulled him back to me.

"What?" He asked, looking at me.

"I love you." I wrapped my arms around his neck. I kissed his lips gently. "I didn't mean to bum you out."

He kissed me back quickly, pulling away. "I know you didn't baby. It's alright. I love you too." He kissed my forehead. "I really want some cake."

I giggled quietly. "Let's go get some cake." I lead him in the kitchen where everybody was surrounding the cake. Dad lit the candle and we sang happy birthday to Aaron. Troy got his cake. I got offered like 3 pieces of cake but I denied them.

"Are you sure you don't want cake Gabi?" Phoebe asked.

I shook my head. "No thank you, but I'm sure Troy wants another one." I looked over at Troy who was finishing his first piece. He gladly accepted the plate and ate his second piece. We moved back outside and Aaron started opening his presents. He was starting to get sleepy after he finished his presents. I found Phoebe. "Can I take a picture with Aaron before he falls asleep? I'm going to put it in his book."

She smiled brightly. "Of course, let's go find him."

She got her camera and we walked over where Aaron was. "Hey Buddy, do you want to take a picture with me?"

"Yeah!" He said excitedly. I sat on the chair and he sat on my lap. I wrapped my arms around him.

"Are you ready? Say Cheeseburger!" Phoebe said.

"Cheeseburger!" We both said, smiling. Phoebe took the picture and showed us.

"I love it!" Aaron proclaimed.

I smiled. "Me too, Thank you Phoebe."

"No problem. Can I get one of you and Troy?" She asked.

"Of course." I walked over to Troy. We took a picture for her and Aaron jumped in the picture. Troy picked him up and we took another picture together. Troy set him down and he ran off.

"Can I get one more picture? With you, Aaron and your dad?" She asked hesitantly.

I looked over at Troy and he nodded. I licked my lips. "Okay."

Phoebe grinned widely. "Robert! Aaron!" She called. Aaron ran over first. I picked him up when he got close.

My father walked over to us. "What's up?"

"I'm going to take one of all of you." Phoebe said. "Come on, Get close."

I walked over to my Dad. I was holding Aaron on my hip, my father on the other side. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder. I put on a forced smile and Phoebe took a quick picture. I put Aaron down and walked back to Troy. "That was cute." He said.

"I'm sure." I said, rolling my eyes. "Are you ready to go?"

"Whenever you are baby." He said, rubbing my arm slowly.

"Let's go say goodbye" I said, looking up at him. He nodded. We walked back over to my dad and Phoebe. "I think we are going to head back to the hotel. Thank you for inviting us, I'm glad I got the ability to meet him."

"You can come back anytime to see him. If you need anything at all feel free to call us. We love you and we are so happy you came." Phoebe said, looking at me.

I smiled at her. "Me too. I'm going to go say bye to Aaron." I walked away from them and found Aaron in the bounce house. "Hey buddy, I'm going to leave."

"Noooo! Don't leave." He crawled out of the little house and hugged me tightly.

I hugged him back. "I have to go, but I'll call you soon."

"Do you think we can go to the park or something, just me and you?" Aaron asked, looking up at me hopefully.

"You'll have to ask your mom and dad buddy. I love you and I'll miss you. Call me anytime okay?" I said, kissing his forehead.

"Okay. I love you too Gabi."

"Go give Troy a hug okay?" I said, setting him down. "Try to tackle him."

He grinned widely. " Troooooooy!" He screamed running over to him. Troy knelt down and let Aaron tackle him. "I got you." He said as I walked over to him.

"Yeah you did. That was a great tackle." Troy lifted Aaron off of him and got back up. "It was nice to meet you little buddy. We'll have to come see you soon."

"Yeah! We can play!"

"How are you getting back to your hotel?" Phoebe asked.

"Taxi." I said, watching Troy and Aaron.

"Let me drive you guys."

My head whipped back over to her. "No, it's okay. You have all of this and Aaron, it's okay."

She shrugged. "Robert can handle it for a few minutes."

"Alright then, thank you." I said, giving her a soft smile. "Troy, are you ready?"

"Yeah." He said walking over to me. We walked out front and Phoebe took us back to the hotel. After I thanked her again we went up to our room. I laid on the bed. It's been a long, long day. "That was better than last time." He said, pulling off his shirt.

"Yeah, it was." I said quietly. "It was nice."

He crawled on top of me and kissed my lips gently. "Your mom would be proud."

I laughed quietly. "Yeah, I should call her but I just want to sleep."

"Take a nap, I'll take one with you." Troy said. I nodded, cuddling up to him. I kissed his bare chest, letting my head rest over his heart.

* * *

I woke up a little later to my phone ringing. I looked at the time. It was eight. We had slept through dinner. I wasn't hungry though. Lunch filled me up. I answered my phone. "Hello?" I asked, sitting up.

"Hi Gabi, it's Phoebe."

"Hey, what's up?" I asked, looking at Troy, sleeping.

"I was wondering when you go back home?" She asked.

"Tomorrow night. We depart at six." I watched Troy's chest rise and fall peacefully. He was so cute sometimes. I smirked to myself.

"Aaron wanted to see you again so I was wondering if you wanted to go out to lunch with us tomorrow." Phoebe said. "It's completely up to you and Troy. Speaking of, he is such a nice boy."

I smiled. "Yeah, he's a great guy. And we'd love to go to lunch."

"Yay! Okay, well I'll text you in the morning with the details." She said. "Have a good night."

"You too. Bye." I said, hanging up the phone. Troy was still sleeping. He was a heavy sleeper, unlike me. I called room service and ordered him something to eat. I knew he was going to be hungry when he woke up. He rolled onto his back. I sat on his butt and I massaged his back slowly.

"What are you doing?" I heard Troy mumble.

"Touching your back." I said. I ran my fingertips along his back muscles. He was so sexy.

"Why?"

"Because I love your back." I leaned down and kissed down his spine gently.

"Mmm." He grumbled.

I stood up and stepped on his back. "I always wanted to do this." I said, walking on his back slowly. "Does it hurt?"

"No." He said. I hopped off of him and laid next to him. "Hey." I kissed him gently. "I love you."

"I love you too." I hugged him tightly. "I ordered you dinner."

He smiled. "Thanks baby."

"We are going out to lunch with Phoebe and Aaron tomorrow. I think my dad is coming too but I don't know." I licked my lips slowly.

"It's okay. It was fine today, I'm sure it'll be fine tomorrow." He said, kissing my lips slowly. I pressed my lips more firmly against his. He smiled and pulled away from me. He laid back and I laid my head on his chest. "Do you really think we won't have time for each other?"

"I'm just thinking realistically. I'm sure we will see each other but we won't see each other everyday like we do now." There was a knock at the door and I got up to answer it. I took the tray of food and tipped the guy. I brought it back to Troy and handed it to him.

"I know that. You put it like we would never see each other." He said, looking at his food. "Thank you for this by the way."

"You're welcome. I'm going to go shower." I said, walking into the bathroom.

* * *

**That was better than expected right? For the chapters, i don't know how many i haven't finished writing it yet. I stopped at chapter 36 to finish up Fame and Love. i'm almost finished writing that so once i'm done i'll focus on this story again. Let me know what you think. Don't forget to review!**


	27. Cry

My dad, Phoebe and Aaron picked us up for lunch. Troy and I got in the car, I was in the middle in between Troy and Aaron's booster seat. "Hi Gabi!" Aaron said excitedly as we climbed in the car.

"Hey Buddy. Hi." I said directed towards dad and Phoebe. I wasn't quite sure what to call them.

"Hi Gabi." Dad said, looking at me through the rear view. "Hi Troy."

"How are you Mr. Montez?" Troy asked, putting his hand on my knee.

"I'm fine, did you guys sleep well?" He asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, the bed was comfortable." I said, glancing over at Troy.

"Did it cost more to have two beds?" Phoebe asked. "I was looking for deals online. One king was like 100 a night, I was wondering about two doubles?"

"We only need one bed so I wouldn't know." I said.

Dad slammed on the brakes. He coughed. "Sorry, there was a squirrel."

"Squirrel! Where?" Aaron said, lifting himself up more to look out the window.

"It ran away, sorry Aar." Dad said distractedly.

"Gabi! One time I saw a squirrel and it was like this close to me!" He held up his small arms for measurement. "It was a boy squirrel because it had balls."

I giggled. "Aaron Robert!" Phoebe scolded him.

"What?" He asked, confused.

Troy was laughing with his hand covering his mouth. He put his hand back on my knee and I laced my fingers in between his. "Have you ever seen a scorpion?" Troy asked.

"Yeah! Only dead ones though. Daddy catches them on the sticky things in the garage. They're scary." Aaron said looking over at Troy and me. "Gabi?" He asked.

"Yeah bud." I looked over at him.

"Do you and Troy love each other?" He asked.

I nodded my head. "Yes, I love Troy very much."

"Does that mean you'll have a baby?" He asked, curiously. Dad started coughing again.

"No buddy. Most of the time when two people that love each other get married before they have a baby." I explained.

"But where did you come from since my mommy is not your mommy too?" He asked.

Did they teach him anything? "My mommy and our daddy were married a long time ago when they had me. When I was about your age they decided not to be together anymore. Then Daddy found your mommy, they got married and had you." I explained to the five year old.

"Oh." He said, smiling, satisfied with my answer. He looked out the window.

I looked over at Troy, who was just watching me with an amused look on his face. "What?" I asked him quietly.

"Oh, nothing." He said, rubbing the top of my hand with his thumb.

We got to the restaurant and we climbed out of the car. I helped Aaron out. He patted my leg. "Gabi, can I have a piggy back ride?"

"Aaron, you can walk just fine." Phoebe said.

"It's fine, Phoebe." I said. Troy lifted him up and he clung onto my back. We walked into the restaurant and got seated. I set Aaron down and I sat next to Troy in the booth. It was a burger place. I picked up a menu, looking through it.

We ordered our drinks and I sat back in the booth. "So you're leaving for Stanford soon?" My dad asked me.

"I got accepted into the early honors program but I'm actually leaving in the fall like a normal college student." I said, looking up from my menu. He looked disappointed. "I finally found a place where I fit in and mom got a permanent position in Albuquerque so I'm spending the summer with my mom and Troy and the rest of my friends."

He licked his lips. "Well I'm happy for you. I'm very proud that you got into Stanford. Where are you going Troy?"

"I'm going to Cal Berkley." Troy said. "I have a Basketball Scholarship."

"Ah… So you have to maintain a what? C average to keep your scholarship." Dad said, raising his eyebrows.

"Robert." Phoebe hit him. "That was rude."

"With all do respect Mr. Montez. I do I have Scholarship but they won't accept anybody with a GPA under 2.5 and I have a 3.5 GPA." He said, picking up his soda, taking a sip.

"Well I apologize, Troy." He said, finally shutting up.

I squeezed Troy's knee. He just grinned at me. "It's fine. People often make misconceptions of me because I play basketball religiously. It comes with the territory."

Phoebe just beamed at us. "How long have you and Gabi been together?"

"Um, like two and a half months. 10 weeks today." He said, looking at me.

I shrugged. "Sounds about right. We got together the day after I came home from Vegas."

"How cute! You guys are going to be close for college, did you plan that?" She asked, interested.

"Not really. I had already accepted Stanford and he was hearing back from schools." I said, looking at Troy.

"Yeah. I got offers from U of A, Duke, Oregon, and Berkley. I like Berkley the best." Troy said, looking at them.

"Wow." Dad said, impressed.

"Are we ready to order?" The perky waitress said, standing at the end of the table. We all ordered and continued our discussion.

* * *

After lunch my dad and Phoebe invited us back to their house and Troy accepted for us. Aaron wanted to play with him apparently. We got back to their house and Aaron ran off with Troy. Phoebe walked off leaving me alone with dad.

"Gabi, I want to say I'm sorry about coming to Vegas and acting the way I did. I just wanted to get you back in my life any way I could. I've missed so much of your childhood, I didn't want to miss anymore. I know it wasn't my place to waltz back into your life. But all in all, I love you more than anything. I won't force my presence upon you but if you need anything then I'll be here for you." He said. He pulled out a check and handed it to me. "I want you to have this."

I looked at the five hundred dollar check. "Dad, you don't need to pay me." I handed it back to him. "I make enough boxing. Thanks but no thanks."

"Gabriella, I'm serious. I want you to have it. Save it, use it for college, something." He said, giving it back to me. "I'm not taking no for an answer."

I sighed, putting it in my pocket. "Gabi! Come up here and play!" Aaron shouted from the stairs.

"I'll be there in a minute." I said up to him. "Thank you." I gave him a small smile and walked backwards to the stairs. I walked up the stairs and found them in Aarons room. "What are you guys doing?"

"We're playing!" Aaron said. I sat down next to Troy. "Look at this!" He handed me a toy that I bought him.

"Who bought this for you?" I asked, smiling.

"You did!" He said. "I'll play with this one and you play with this one." He handed me another toy. "Troy can play with this." He handed Troy a toy. He went off into his own little world.

"So what did your and your dad talk about?" Troy asked quietly, pretending to play.

"He gave me this." I pulled out the check and handed it to him.

Troy's eyes bulged out of his head. "For what?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I don't want to take his pity money."

"I'm sure it's not pity money." He said, giving it back to me.

"What do you think its for then?" I asked, sticking it back in my pocket.

"I need this one." Aaron announced taking the toy that was in front of me.

I nodded and he started playing again. "I'll just give it to my mom when I get home. I'm sure she'll do something with it." I said sighing. "What time is it?"

"It's getting late, we should get going soon." Troy said, looking over at me.

Aaron's head shot over to me. "What? Don't go!"

"We have to go back to Albuquerque buddy. We have school tomorrow." I said.

He frowned. "Oh, okay."

"We'll come see you again." I said, looking at him. "We should go down stairs." I started getting up. I helped Troy up and Aaron up and we walked down the stairs. We found Phoebe in the kitchen. "We should get going."

"Alright, let me get my keys." Phoebe said, looking around. "Robert, they're about to leave." She called out once she found them.

Dad came walking into the room. "You guys are leaving already?" He asked.

"Yeah, we have to get going." I said, licking my lips. "We have a flight to catch."

"I'll take you back to the hotel." Phoebe said.

We walked out the door. Aaron hugged my legs tightly. I picked him up and hugged him tightly. "I love you Gabi." He said squeezing me tightly.

"I love you too buddy." I said, letting him down. I gave my dad a quick hug. "Thank you for inviting me."

"You're welcome." He said. I pulled away from him. "Troy." He moved on. "Take care of her."

"Always, Mr. Montez." Troy said, shaking his hand. "Thank you for lunch and inviting us down here."

Troy, Phoebe and I climbed into the car. We waved to Aaron and my dad as we drove away. "Can I ask you a Question?" I asked Phoebe, looking at her.

"Sure." She said, glancing at me.

"Why did my dad give me a check?" I asked her.

"I'm not completely sure. He just wants to make sure you have everything you need, especially since you're going off to college. He wants to help out any way he can." She said, glancing over at me. "He always talks about you. Even since before we were married. He'd rave about you. He's so proud."

I nodded, looking out the window. "Oh?" We pulled up to the hotel. "Thank you Phoebe."

"You're welcome." Phoebe said. I gave her a hug. "Come back soon?"

I smiled at her, nodding. "Of course."

We climbed out. "Bye Phoebe." Troy said.

"Oh, Bye honey. Lovely to see you again. Bye Gabi." She waved. I waved back and Troy and I walked inside.

"I am so ready to go home." I said sighing.

Troy chuckled. "Don't worry baby, me too." He kissed my cheek and we walked up to our room.

* * *

Troy went straight home when Mom picked us up from the airport. He was probably so sick of me. I went straight up to bed. I was exhausted. I got up for school the next morning. It was the week before Spring Break. I had no idea what I had planned for spring break.

I went through my usual school day. I don't know what it was but I felt different. I just felt like working out, a lot. I felt like I had gained like a billion pounds over the weekend. I couldn't stop thinking about it on the drive home. I went upstairs and changed. I came back down and I started running.

I had my iPod in my ears. I was focused on running. I didn't even stop when I hit then park, I just turned around and ran back home. I got back inside I went straight down stairs. I wrapped up my hands and started punching. I didn't stop until I physically couldn't lift my arms any more. I was soaked in seat and exhausted. I walked into the kitchen and Troy was sitting on the counter.

"Hey." I said, looking at him. He looked distraught. "Troy, are you alright?"

He looked at me and nodded. "They put her back in, I found her on the floor and took her. She's not doing good." He said quietly. "I couldn't sit there so I came here."

I let out the breath I was holding. "Come on." I said quietly, leading him up the stairs. "Lay down, I'll be right back." I said, looking at him.

Troy laid down on the bed while I got into the shower. I wrapped myself in a towel and walked out into the room. I walked over to my dresser. "Baby." Troy said quietly. "I need you." He got up and picked me up, setting me on the bed. He took the towel off me and leaned down to kiss my lips. "I need to make love to you." His lips trailed down my neck.

"I love you." I said, looking up at him. I pulled his shirt off of his body then helping him out of his pants. He tried to kiss every inch of my body. He kissed up my belly to my lips. He reached over for a condom. "It's okay, not today." I said quietly. His blue eyes bore into mine.

"I love you so much Gabriella." He said, leaning down to meet our lips. His fingers trailed down my body slowly. I felt his length, hard and ready against me. He pulled away for a minute and I stared into his eyes as he pressed himself into me. "You are so beautiful baby." I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed his lips softly.

My body moved against his slowly. It was so much more intense feeling all of him inside of me. "Oh Troy, I love you." I said quietly. Troy brushed his tongue against mine. I rest my hand against the back of his neck. I pressed my fingers against his back. He pulled his lips away from mine. He dragged his lips down my neck. "Will you love me forever?"

"Forever baby." He said, moving his lips back up to my neck.

"Do you promise?" I asked him, looking into his eyes this time. "You'll never leave me?" My eyes started watering up.

Troy stopped his motions but was still buried deep within me. "I love you Gabriella Montez. I promise I will love you forever. I will never leave you. You and me baby, until the end." Troy whispered. I closed my eyes and pressed my lips against his. His hips started moving against me again.

I moaned quietly against his lips. I kissed his lips again as my body slightly convulsed under him. He let out a satisfied groan as he arrived a couple seconds after me. He stayed inside of me as I kissed his lips slowly. He pulled out of me and laid on his back. I curled up in a ball next to him. I wrapped myself in blankets. "I'll be right back." I said quietly getting up. I grabbed a shirt and walked into the bathroom. I closed the door behind me and put my shirt on.

I leaned against the wall and slid down it slowly. I felt the tears building up. I tried my hardest to blink them away but they started falling down my face. I pulled the big shirt over my knees, hugging them close to my chest. I let out a harsh sob. All the tears that have been building up were finally making their way out. I put my face in my arms. "Gabi?" I heard Troy knock on the bathroom door. I didn't respond. I heard him open the door and close it behind him. "Baby? Are you okay?" I shook my head, not bothering to look up at him. "What's the matter?"

I took a moment to collect myself. I looked up at him, wiping my face. His face softened when he realized I was crying. He put boxers and shorts on over them. "I'm trying so hard to hate him. I don't know if I can anymore. But I don't know if I can forgive him for what he did. He hurt me and he hurt my mom. He broke my heart when he left us." I wiped off the tears that were still running down my face. "I cried myself to sleep for months because I thought he was never coming back. When we moved away it just got worse. I'd fly back for a week to spend with my dad until I started real school then I'd fly back for the weekends." I stopped rambling, rubbing my temples.

"Baby?" Troy asked, looking at me.

"I love him and I hate that I still love him because he could easily leave me again and I don't deserve to be left again. Everybody is bound to leave me anyways." I started to get up. I picked up a tissue and blew my nose. "Look at me. I'm a mess." I threw the tissue away. "A mess with no pants."

Troy smiled at me. He wrapped his arms around me. "You are so beautiful."

"Shut up." I mumbled into his chest. "I really need pants. I'll be right back." I walked back to my room and put underwear and pants on. Troy wrapped his arms around me. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." He said kissing my forehead.

"I'm going to change the sheets and we can lay down." I said pulling everything off my bed. I took them downstairs and put them in the washer. I came back up and Troy was already putting the new ones on. I grabbed a comforter. He finished with the sheets and laid down on the bed. I laid next to him and we covered ourselves with the blankets. "I'm sorry about your mom."

"She'll be okay. She's strong." Troy said wrapping his arms around me tightly. "She wasn't feeling too well when I left. We can visit her tomorrow"

"Okay." I said laying against him. "I gave my mom the check. She says she says she's putting it in my savings account."

"That's a good place for it." He commented.

"Do you think I'm crazy?" I asked, looking up at him.

Troy chuckled. "Sometimes."

I smiled. "Troy, I'm being serious."

He smiled. "I know." He kissed the side of my head. "You are a lot of things. You can get crazy sometimes but I don't think you are crazy."

"I feel like I'm going crazy." I said, sighing. "I hate that he makes me feel like this."

"I'm sure that's not his intentions."

I licked my lips. "I know, I just don't know what to do."

"Well you don't have to do anything right now." He reminded me. "You can take some time to think about everything that happened and if you want to talk to him then you can talk to him. If you don't then you don't have to. I'm sure he's not expecting you to go spend a week with him for like spring break or something. "

"I have a headache." I said, laying my head on his chest.

"I know. Relax." He said, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Can you give me a massage?" I asked, looking up at him. I pulled off my shirt.

Troy laughed. "Sure, why not?" He straddled me and started rubbing my back slowly. I closed my eyes and relaxed. He hummed quietly as he massaged my shoulders.

"Gabi? Oh. Hi Troy." I heard mom say.

"Hi Marie. I was just giving her a back massage… She's having a rough day." Troy said, running his thumbs along my back slowly.

"Well, um Cameron's coming over for dinner and I'm going to make dinner. Troy, are you staying?" She asked. I can only imagine the look on her face right now.

"Yes please. Mom went back to the hospital." Troy said. "She wasn't feeling too well today."

"Oh, I'm sorry Troy." I could hear her frowning. "I hope she's okay."

Troy shrugged his shoulders. "She's hanging in there." He pressed his thumbs against a knot in my back.

"Ow."

"Sorry." He said. "We'll be down to help in a minute."

"Alright." Mom said, closing the door behind her.

I laughed a little bit. "How awkward was that?"

"Not that bad." He said. "She was looking down the whole time."

"Well you are half naked on top of her daughter." I said. He leaned down and kissed my back gently. "I'm good Troy, Thank you."

"You're welcome baby." He rolled off me and I laid next to him. "Can you put your shirt back on? Your boobs are making me hard again."

I laughed, pulling my shirt on over my head. "I apologize. I guess I should put a bra on if were eating with Cameron."

Troy rolled off the bed. "That would be a good idea." He said, walking into the bathroom. I pulled my shirt off and put a bra on before putting another shirt on over it. Troy came back out. I tossed him his shirt and he put it on. "I'm going to cut my hair soon."

"I thought you were going to let me cut it." I said, looking at him.

"I have to get it all lined up and everything." He said, rubbing his hair. Our hair was about the same length. I looked at him. "Okay, If you cut it and it looks bad then I'll go to the barber."

I grinned. "Yes." He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my lips gently. "Do I look like I've been crying?"

"Your eyes are a little puffy but other than that no." He said.

I sighed. "At least she won't bring it up until Cameron leaves." I rubbed my eyes and he moved my hands and kissed my eyelids. He laced his fingers in between mine and he kissed my lips. "Do you remember when you asked me if which I liked better; fucking or making love?"

"Yeah." He nodded.

"I doesn't matter which one as long as I'm doing it with you." I said, smiling at him.

Troy started chuckling. "That is the corniest thing you have ever said Gabriella Montez."

I laughed pushing him away from me. "Shut up, Asshole." I walked out of my room and down the stairs.

* * *

**Just a little announcement. **

**I'm putting this story on a little hiatus. I'm going to finish Fame and Love, which is going to go up to 32 chapters. When i'm completely finished with this story i'll start uploading again. I've started another story too for when these two are finished. It's different. I think you'll like it. Tell me if you like the M rated storys better or the T rated stories, i'll ask that when i upload fame and love on Thursday.**

**I've been like in a weird mood since last tuesday and i've finally broken out of it. I feel good and it's beautiful outside. The time change messed me up but i feel like i'm getting back on track. I did a hell of alot of writing this weekend and i'm proud to have finished F&L. **

**I just want to tell you guys y'all are so awesome. Each and every one of you. It's already a miracle that you actually like what i'm writing but y'all are leaving me such nice comments and it just makes me so grateful i have all of you. I love you guys so much and i hope you are all well and are having a good week, so far. **

**If y'all have any questions or concerns PM me, i'll try to get back to you as soon as i can. If you want to know what happens, you'll have to wait. If you wanna know how long this is going to be, you'll still have to wait because i'm still writing it. **

**Please, don't forget to review.**


	28. Wicked

**It's back! :)**

* * *

We were going to New York this weekend. By We I meant Me, Troy, My mom, Cameron, CJ, and Christopher. I don't know how the hell this happened but it is happening. We are getting a suite. Troy and I are staying in one room, Mom and Cameron are astaying in the other room and I guess the boys are sleeping on the pull out couch.

We were getting on the plane now. I had a fight and it was spring break. Troy's mom was still in the hospital but she was feeling a little better and she made Troy come with us. CJ and Christopher were staying with Cameron this weekend. Mom invited them to New York. I had a match but we were staying until Tuesday because it was Spring Break. We would get time to do stuff, not just come for the boxing match and leave after.

I sat next in between Troy and Mom on the plane. Cameron and the boys were coming on a later flight. It was the earliest they could get last minute. We were staying in Manhattan. We lived in Brooklyn and upstate but we have never lived in Manhattan. I was always infatuated with big cities like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles. I loved everything about them.

I was starting to feel more like myself since Monday. Troy's been staying with us since he didn't want to be at his house alone. Jack was always at the hospital right beside his wife or at work. Troy was having some trouble leaving his parents but he relaxed when we got on the plane.

"I haven't traveled this much since I've met you." He said, smiling at me.

"We'll you know. A girl like me can't stay in one place for long." I joked.

"Are you guys going to be nice to CJ and Christopher?" Mom asked, joining our conversation.

I laughed. "No mom. Troy is going to beat them up." I said sarcastically.

She rolled her eyes. "You don't have to be a smart ass."

"You love my smart ass." I kissed her cheek.

"Yes I do." She said. She rubbed my short hair. "You know I was mildly horrified when you cut your hair. But I think once it grows into a… what's it called? The one Anne Hathaway has?"

"Pixie?" I offered.

"Sure, once it grows into a pixie cut it will look really cute. I might be awkward for a while but it will look cute again once it starts getting longer." She said.

I licked my lips. "My impulsiveness gets the best of me sometimes."

"It's all good baby, I can keep up with you." Troy said, holding my hand.

"Thank god for Troy. I thought I might never have Grandchildren." Mom said.

I scoffed. "That was so mean. You had no hope in me?" She shrugged. "Mom!"

Mom started laughing. "I was kidding Gabi. You know I have all the faith in the world." She kissed the top of my head.

"You and your mom are like twins." Troy said.

I made a face at him. "That's weird."

"I'm serious. You have similar personalities." He said. "Like your sense of humor."

"If I'm my mom then you can be my Cameron." I said, nudging my mom. She rolled her eyes at me again.

"Cameron's a bad ass. Did you hear that story about his motorcycle?" Troy said.

"I probably wasn't paying attention." I said honestly.

Troy laughed. "He says he had the coolest motorcycle in high school. He said he got all the bitches."

I burst out laughing. "Total badass." I shook my head.

* * *

We landed in New York and took a cab to the hotel we were staying in. We got settled in and waited for Cameron and the boys to arrive. Troy was talking to his parents in the room that we were sharing. Mom set up the couch bed for the boys. I was painting my nails on the desk. I usually got a manicure but I hadn't had time yet so I'm painting over the previous nail polish.

Troy came back out, walking over to me. "Mom says hi."

"How's she feeling?" I asked.

"She said better but I'm not sure." He said.

I stared at my fingers. "Why are fingers so weird looking?"

He laughed. "Are you high?"

"Totally." I said dryly. "I'm so high I can't touch the sky."

"Seriously?" He asked amused.

"I just don't know why." I added, just to amuse him.

"Do you want some pie?" He asked, laughing.

"I can't feel my thigh."

"Don't lie"

I giggled. "I'm actually a guy."

"I'm gonna die."

"Bye-bye."

"You guys are so weird." Mom said as she walked past us.

Troy and I burst out laughing. "Don't be a hater mom."

"I am not a hater, Gabriella." She said, walking into the room her and Cameron were going to share.

There was a knock at the door. "Mom, door."

"Why don't you get it?" She said, coming out of the room.

"My nails are wet." I argued, blowing on them. "Can I paint your nails?"

"No." Troy said. He picked it up. "Blazing Red is not my color."

I held my hand up to his face. "It'll make your eyes pop."

"Goodie." He said sarcastically.

"Hey Gabi." Cameron said when he came in. "Hey Troy."

"Hey Cameron." Troy and I said at the same time.

"These are my sons, Cameron Jr. and Christopher." He said, putting his hands on their shoulders. Both boys looked exactly like their father. "Boys, This is Marie's daughter Gabriella and her boyfriend Troy."

"Sup dudes." Troy said.

"Sup." CJ said. "You play for East right?"

"Yeah." Troy said.

"I play baseball but you guys killed us at our homecoming game." CJ said. "You scored like 40 points that game."

"It was pretty even." Troy said modestly. "How is baseball going?"

"Christopher is the more shy one." Cameron explained. Troy and CJ went on talking about sports. He was 12 so I guess he was going through his awkward stage.

"Hi Christopher." I said. "How was the plane ride?"

"Long." He said quietly.

"Are you excited to see New York?" I asked, looking at him.

Christopher shrugged. "I heard Wicked is playing."

"Do you want to go see it?" I asked him. He shrugged. "I'll go see it with you. Musicals are the shit."

He sort of smiled at me. "Okay."

Cameron looked kind of surprised. "You didn't tell me you wanted to see Wicked."

"You were talking to CJ about baseball the whole plane ride here." Christopher said, monotone.

I looked over at my mom. She looked happy to see we were all getting along. I was happy to see her happy again. I checked my nails and they were dry. I walked over to my mom and hugged her. She hugged me back. "What's this for?"

"For being you." I said. "Can we get some food? I'd kill for a salad right now."

She laughed. "Sure. We can go to the restaurant downstairs."

I walked into the room and put some shoes on. We got in the elevator and we went down to the restaurant in the hotel. We ate dinner before we went back up stairs. I crawled into bed while everybody was still away. I had to get up early for my fight tomorrow. I cuddled up in the bed, letting my eyes close.

Troy crawled in bed and I opened my eyes to look at him. "Sorry." He whispered. He wrapped his arms around me.

"It's okay, I wasn't really sleeping." I said quietly.

"You'll never guess what CJ asked me." Troy said, starting to chuckle.

"What did he ask you?"

"He asked me what sex felt like." Troy said chuckling.

My eyes popped open. "You're lying."

He shook his head. "Nope."

"What did you say?" I asked, smirking.

"I didn't know what to tell him so I told him he should ask his dad about stuff like that." He said quietly.

I shook my head. "Oh my god." I closed my eyes leaning against him. "Goodnight Troy."

"Goodnight baby." He said, kissing the back of my neck.

* * *

I got up early the next morning due to my alarm. I got changed into work out clothes. I went down stairs and ate some breakfast. I had to meet Shane in the gym after breakfast. Everybody was still sleeping. I walked in the gym and Shane was waiting for me. "Hey Gabi."

"Hey." I said letting out a breath.

"What's new? We hadn't had a heart to heart in a while." Shane said, sitting on an exercise ball. I sat on the other one, picking up dumbbells.

"Well You know I went to see my dad again." I started.

"How was that?" He asked.

"It was surprisingly okay. I only had one little melt down and it was at my aunt, my dad's sister, Carmen. She's a bitch. I told her off and she didn't really talk to me for the rest of the day. Dad wasn't being overbearing. He apologized to me, give me money. We all went out to lunch before we left. It was kind of nice." I said, shrugging. I kept working my arm muscles.

Shane smiled. "That's good that you're patching things up with your dad, I don't know how it's going to affect your boxing career."

I smiled. "You know I'm retiring after my last match right? Which is in, what? Two weeks?"

He nodded sadly. "I'm going to miss you."

"You should open up your own gym in California." I said, grinning. "Seriously, I'll work for you. I'll help train kids. Shit, I'll even help you run it."

"I've been thinking about that, honestly." He said.

I stopped working out. "Really! It can be like an all purpose gym. You can build a basketball court and Troy can help out too. It could be really fun. We can get a lot of sponsors to help us. Sharpay's dad has a lot of money. If we pitch the idea he would probably help us. Hell, my dad probably would help us."

He smirked at me. "You aren't going to let this go, are you?"

I shook my head. "Not until it happens." I licked my lips and started working out again. "I was thinking about studying sports medicine. I want to get my PHD, become a doctor."

He grinned. "You? A doctor?"

"I could do it. I can do anything." I said, smiling at him.

"I know you can, Gabi. That's what makes you an amazing person." He said. "Now pick up your arms, have you been working on your left side?"

"Yes." I said, I flexed my muscles. "Can we spar?"

"Yeah, I brought the gloves." Shane said.

We finished our workout. I was sent back to my room to relax until the fight. I was thinking about taking a bath but I was in a hotel room with five other people. Four of which were male. I just crawled back into bed with Troy who was still sleeping. I cuddled up to him and closed my eyes.

* * *

I was in my dressing room, getting ready for the fight. I had my iPod in my ears, listening to music while I wrapped up my hands. I saw somebody walk in the door. Shane came in with Troy. I smiled at them before finishing my hands. I took the ear buds out of my ears. "Hey." I said, looking up at them.

"Your mom, Cameron and the boys want to come in." Troy said.

"Send them in." I said, sitting up.

Troy opened the door and they piled in. "Hey Gabi." Mom said. "Are you ready for your fight?"

I nodded. "Yeah, Shane and I had a good workout this morning. I'm pretty pumped."

"We just wanted to say good luck. We saw the chick you were fighting, she's pretty big." CJ said.

"Thanks guys." I said smiling at him.

"We'll see you after the fight Gabi." Cameron said.

"Please don't get hurt. I found tickets to Wicked for tonight." Christopher said.

I grinned at him. "I promise I won't get hurt."

Shane walked them out and Troy sat down with me. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel really good. I'm ready to go." I said, looking at him.

"Are you going to miss boxing when you retire?"

I nodded. "Yeah. But I don't know how much longer I could do this."

"You're going to do great baby." He leaned down and kissed my lips firmly. "Kick some ass."

I laughed. "Always do."

He walked out and I started focusing again. Shane walked into the room. "Do you have to get the fire smacked into you or are you going to light it yourself?" He asked.

"Its already lit Shane." I said, holding my hands out.

"Good." He shoved the gloves on my hands. "You need to win. Now let's do this."

He put my mouth piece in and we got up to walk out. I stretched my arm muscles and did some quick cardio to get my blood pumping. We made our way to the ring and we prepared our corner. I was announced first. I put my game face on, waiting for the fight to start.

The fight was pretty even. The girl caught on to my left hook quick so I couldn't really use the element of surprise. She was a really good fighter but I held my own against her. I beat her by three fifths of a point. I went back to the hotel after the fight to get changed for tonight. Chris, Troy and I were going to see Wicked.

Mom Cameron and CJ were going to go do something else. After a quick dinner together we split up. We headed down the theatre and got our tickets. We found our seats and waited for the show to start. "I always wanted to see a show on Broadway." Christopher said. "My mom and I always talked about going to see one but we never planned a trip."

"This is my first one too. I'm excited." I said, smiling at him. "My friend Sharpay would shit herself if she knew I was here. She loves theatre."

Troy chuckled. "You didn't tell her?" I shook my head. "She would have used her helicopter and flown out here to see one with you."

"I'm sure her and Zeke are busy." I said. Troy looked disgusted. I giggled quietly as the lights went down.

* * *

Christopher raved about the musical excitedly as we walked out of the theatre. "I want to see it before we leave again, can we? Can we see it again?" He asked, looking up at me.

"I don't know. You'll have to ask your dad. Come on Christopher we have to get a cab." He grabbed my hand and blushed. I grinned at him as I hailed a cab. Troy got in first and I followed. Chris shut the door and I let go of his hand. "Did you like it babe?"

Troy grinned. "Yeah, it was pretty cool. I like the part with the monkeys." He said, looking at Christopher. They went into conversation while I watched the cab driver drive. He pulled up in front of the hotel. I paid the cabbie and we got out.

I held on to each of their hands as we walked into the building. We stood in the elevator. "Thank you for coming with me Gabriella… And Troy."

"No problem. It was a great show." I smiled at him, ruffling his hair. I looked over at Troy who was watching me. I smiled up at him giving me a quick kiss. Troy started chuckling. "What?" I asked confused.

"Nothing." He said, continuing to laugh as we walked out of the elevator. We walked over to our suite and I swiped the key. Christopher walked inside first.

"Seriously, what?" I asked, as I closed the door behind me.

"Nothing baby." Troy said as he walked into our room. "Hey Marie, Cameron. How was your night?"

"Really great, how was yours?" Mom asked.

"It was awesome!" Christopher raved. He started going on about the show.

"I'm exhausted, so I'm going to go to bed." I said, interrupting. "Goodnight all."

"Goodnight." They said back to me.

I walked into the room, looking for clothes to change into. Troy followed me in, closing the doors behind us. "You can sleep naked if you want." Troy said.

"You're not seeing me naked until you tell me why you were laughing." I said, walking into the bathroom that connected to our little room and the living area outside of it. I locked both doors and changed. I unlocked the doors and walked back into the room.

Troy was already stripped down into his boxers. "I was laughing because when we first got together I never thought I'd see you smile as much as you do now." He said. "It's kind of funny."

"Well I wasn't happy as I am now." I said, looking at him. "I can stop smiling if you'd like."

"I was just saying. It's not like it's a bad thing or anything." Troy walked over to me. He picked me up by the butt and I wrapped my legs around him. "I love seeing you smile." He said, kissing my lips slowly.

I kissed him back gently. "Good." I said, leaning down to kiss him again. He laid us down in the bed, pulling our blankets over us. "I think we should sneak some you and me time in tomorrow."

"Well we were going to go off and do stuff right?" He asked, his lips drifting down my neck. "We can sleep in late and wait until they leave." He suggested.

"Mmm, sounds good." I said, closing my eyes. He nipped at my neck gently. I pushed his head away from my neck. "That's enough for now." I said. "Let's watch some TV before we go to bed."

He reached over for the remote and turned on the TV. I cuddled up to him. "Look our show." He said. FRIENDS was on. "If you just had my baby and Chad proposed to you, would you say yes?"

I burst out laughing. "Of course not. The thing is Rachel is a dumbass and so is Ross. He should have proposed to her a long time ago. They were clearly on a break but it was kind of fucked up that he just slept with the other woman."

Troy chuckled. "He was just horny."

"The actual question is how does Ross get all these women anyway? Chandler is the cuter one and the poor guy couldn't keep a relationship until he and Monica got together." I said, watching the show.

"The same for Monica. She's a little crazy but she's hot. That Richard guy she dated should have knocked her up and gotten it over with." Troy said, rubbing his head.

"And why did they make Chandler and Monica not have kids? I mean, What are the chances?" I said sighing. "But I love Paul Rudd so I love Mike and Phoebe together. I just love Phoebe so much."

Troy laughed at me. "We are like Mike and Phoebe. You are delightfully weird."

"I guess that's true." I rest my head against his chest. "You are the only person I could ever do things like this with."

"Me too baby." He said, kissing the top of my head. "We're good together."

"Very good. When we go to college we are going to spend countless nights like this. Just laying in bed watching Friends. I don't know how well I'm going to do at the dorm thing with my attitude issues." Troy burst out laughing. "What?"

He shook his head. "You are so aware of every little fault you think you have. It's funny."

"When you spend most of your life by yourself, you get to know yourself really quick." I said, smiling at him. "I'm glad I amuse you."

"Well you are very amusing baby." He said, rubbing my arms slowly. "You know what?"

"What?" I asked him.

"I think I'm going to start that nickname thing again." He said randomly.

"But you already found a nickname." I said, looking up at him.

"I know but it was fun. I had to reach into the deep pits of my creativity." He smiled at me.

I rolled my eyes. "You can do whatever you want."

"Sweet" Troy said, smiling at me. "I love you, Cookie."

"I love you too Penis face." Troy just stared at me. I grinned. "You're right, this is fun." I kissed his lips gently, cuddling up to him.

"… Penis face?" He asked himself quietly.

"Penis face, can you get the lights?" I asked.

He raised his eyebrows at me. "I think you need a new one, sunshine." Troy got out of bed and turned out the lights. He lowered the volume on the TV before climbing back into bed.

"Alright monkey butt." I said, smirking at him.

"Nicknames aren't your thing." He said, wrapping his arms around me.

"You're right. I'll just stick to Troy." I said, kissing his bare chest.

"Good, I don't want you to call me Penis Face in public." He said chuckling.

"Goodnight Troy." I said, cuddling against him.

"Goodnight baby." He kissed my forehead, laying next to me.

* * *

**Welcome back! I missed y'all. Well all the people who don't read FAL. TGIF. Don't forget to review!**


	29. Zoo

Troy and I tried to sleep in late but my mother had other plans for us. We were going to have a 'family' day. Which didn't make any sense because it just didn't. I guess we were just going to spend all day together… all six of us. Thus, forcing us to get out of bed early for breakfast then we had to get ready for the day. All mom said was wear comfortable shoes. Fantastic.

"Do you know where we are going?" I asked Troy. We were meeting everybody out front because I took the last and longest shower. We stepped into the elevator, pressing the Lobby button.

"I have no idea." He said. "I know as much as you do baby."

"I wonder what they have up their sleeve." I murmured more to myself then to Troy. He just shrugged and wrapped his arms around me.

He kissed my ear gently. "You look so sexy in those jeans."

"You look sexy in those socks." I said, smirking at him.

Troy chuckled. "I wore these the last time we fucked."

I laughed. "Shut up, you did not."

"I'm serious."

"How do you know?" I asked, smirking at him.

He shrugged. "I just do."

"You are so full of shit." I pulled his arms from my waist and walked out of the elevator.

"Jeez, what took you so long?" CJ asked.

"Gabi had to do her hair." Troy joked.

I rolled my eyes and started walking away with my mom and Cameron. "How'd we get outnumbered by boys?"

"I don't know baby." She said, running her hand down the back of my head. "I don't know."

"So where are we even going?" I asked, looking at her.

"Central Park!" She said excited. "We're going to the Zoo."

"The Zoo?"

"I love the Zoo." Troy said, excitedly rushing up to us. "Are we really going to the Zoo?"

I laughed at my boyfriend. "We're going to go and release all the animals."

"Really?" His face lit up.

"Yeah! Then we can ride a Giraffe back home." I said sarcastically.

"Damn. Grumpy." Troy grumbled, lacing his fingers in between mine. He leaned over and kissed my ear. "I think you're just sexually frustrated."

I smacked his chest. "Troy!"

"I'm just saying." He said, raising his free hand in defense.

We made our way to the park. We walked around it for a little bit then headed toward the zoo. When we walked in Troy was pulling me a long like an overly excited man-child. "Troy, calm the fuck down, it's just a Zoo." I said. I walked quickly to catch up to him. "Look what you did, we lost everybody else."

"We'll catch up with them later, now come on." He said, dragging me along.

I rolled my eyes and trailed him reluctantly. We stopped in front of the reptile exhibit. "That's gnarly." I said, looking at the huge snake in front of me.

"Why do you say it like that?" Troy asked, standing next to me.

"Look like two feet down it's body from his head." I said, looking at the large lump visible from it's body. "It's like trying to crawl back out."

"Aw we missed breakfast." Troy said, pressing his palms up against the glass.

"Come on Troy, you're not five." I said, laughing to myself.

"Don't be a hater baby." He said, collecting my hand again. We moved through the tropical zone. "Let's go see some real animals!"

"These are all real animals." I smirked up at him, holding onto his arm and his hand as we walked.

"Don't be a smart ass." He said. "You're being a total buzz kill Gabi."

I laughed, kissing his bicep. "I'm sorry baby." I said, leaning my head against this arm. We stopped in front of the monkeys. "They kind of look like you." I said, smirking.

"Ha Ha." He laughed sarcastically. "Monkeys are the shit."

"Monkeys smell like shit." I corrected. "But they're cute."

Troy chuckled. "So you're saying I'm cute but I smell like shit?"

I nodded. "Pretty much."

He laughed shaking his head. We were in front of the penguins now. I loved penguins. They were so cute. I watched them intently while Troy held my waist, standing behind me. "Monkeys are my favorite and Penguins are your favorite." Troy said, resting his head on my shoulder.

"Did you know that when penguins don't have penis' or Vaginas?" I said, looking over at him. "They transfer the sperm into the girl penguin." I explained vaguely. "I researched it a while ago but I don't really remember the specifics."

Troy raised his eyebrows at me. "Really now?"

I nodded. "Yep." I said. "Let's take a walk through the garden." I suggested.

"Okay." He pulled away from me and laced his fingers in between mine. "This is so romantic. A walk through the garden." He said teasingly.

I ignored him, looking around the garden. We got to a free bench and I sat down. Troy sat next to me and I scooted closer to him, cuddling up to him. I licked my lips and let out a content sigh. "I wish we could stay like this forever."

"In a Zoo?" Troy asked, smirking.

"No!" I said smacking him. "So carefree. Once we go to college we'll have so much shit to worry about…" I trailed off, watching people walk by.

"We already had this conversation. We will make time. We will designate nights to lay in bed and watch friends. I'll take you out all the time and we can find new things to do other than Laser Tag and Mini Golf." Troy said, rubbing my arms.

I looked up at him as he spoke. He was watching people like I was. He looked down at me. "I never thought I'd love you the way I do now." I said quietly. "When I told you I thought I was in love with you was nothing compared to what I feel now. It was like you just pushed me off a cliff."

Troy started laughing. "What?" He asked confused.

"You know in cartoons, when they like run off a cliff or get pushed, they just dangle there for a minute? That was I was doing. Dangling."

"Dangling?" He asked with a smirk.

"Troy!" I whined.

"Sorry. Continue."

"No." I said.

"Come on."

"Fuck you."

"Gabiiii."

"No, Shut up."

"I love you." I rolled my eyes. "Can I have a kiss?" He asked.

"No."

"Pleeeease?" He begged.

I sighed and pecked his lips. "There."

"Now continue with what you were saying."

"There's mom." I said, getting off the bench. "Mom!" I called out.

She turned to look at me. "There you are, we were just looking for you guys."

"Troy kidnapped me." I explained. "Did you make it around yet?" I asked her.

"We saw most of the exhibits, not really the real animals." Mom said.

"We did the opposite." I said.

"Hey! There you are Gabi!" Cameron and the boys said walking over. "Hey, do you and Troy check out the exhibit at the front yet?" He asked.

"No, we just saw the Animals." Troy said, popping up beside me.

"Marie, I'm going to take Gabi and Troy to see the exhibit. Are you okay with the boys?" He asked.

"Yes, of course. Boys, do you want to go check out the animals with me?" She asked them. They accepted.

Troy, Cameron and I walked back towards the other side of the park. "How are you liking the Zoo?" Cameron asked.

"Troy loves the Zoo." I said, grinning up at him. I laced my fingers in between Troy's. "It's pretty cool."

"Your mom and I were thinking… well talking about something and we wanted to ask you what you thought." Cameron said was we walked to the exhibit.

"What was that?" I asked, looking up at him.

"We were talking about moving in together."

"You moving in with us or us moving in with you?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. "Or all of us moving into a whole different house?"

"Probably moving into your house. I'll be in your mom's room. The boy's can share a room. They'll only be there on weekends until summer starts then they stay at their moms for two to three weeks and we switch off until school starts." Cameron said. "But then again, we are still thinking about this."

"I wouldn't mind." I said, looking up at him. "I graduate in June. I'll probably be out and about most of the summer so it wouldn't really bother me."

He grinned. "Good, that's good. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable or anything. It is pretty sudden. My lease is about to be up and your mom offered. Our relationship is fairly new so nothing is set in stone." He explained.

"I understand. I don't have a problem with it. I'm happy with whatever makes my mom happy." I said. Troy squeezed my hand. "She deserves to have somebody as great as you Cameron."

"Thanks Gabi." He said smiling. "You know, from what your mother told me, I was a little afraid of you at first."

Troy burst out laughing. "You should be."

I smacked his chest. "Shut up Troy." I said, before looking over at Cameron. "Why were you scared?"

"I just wanted you to like me." He said shrugging. "She said you were temperamental but she loves you and she raves about you. She's very proud of you."

"Marie loves talking about Gabi." Troy said.

I rolled my eyes. "I don't know why."

"You are pretty great babe." Troy said kissing the top of my head.

"You are great. So is your mom." Cameron said.

I smiled. "You really like her, don't you?"

Cameron blushed like a little boy. "I don't think I've ever met anyone more perfect than she is." He said, looking at me. "She's beautiful, she's smart, she always can make me laugh. She's strong and she has a beautiful heart." I grinned. "I could go on but you already know all of these things."

"Do you love her?" I asked.

"Gabi, they've only been going out for like a month and a half." Troy said.

I rolled my eyes. "So? I told you I loved you after two weeks."

Cameron just chuckled at us. "You bicker like a married couple. It's hysterical."

Troy laughed and I rolled my eyes. "Do you love her?" I asked again, smiling this time.

"I think I do." He said, softly. "I haven't told her yet though. I don't want to freak her out."

"Do you want to marry her?" I asked, looking up at him.

"One day, I hope she'd say yes if I asked her to marry me." He said, looking at the exhibit that I completely forgot about. He looked over at Troy and smirked. "Do you want to marry Gabi?"

I choked. "What?"

"Yeah, one day." Troy said, looking at me.

"Would you say yes if Troy proposed to you?" Cameron asked me.

"Eventually." I said, looking up at Troy. He released my hand and something across the room seemed to have caught his attention. "I love him. I wouldn't say yes now, or anytime soon."

"Smart girl." He said. "I got married young. The boy's mom was my high school sweetheart. But just because we didn't work out, doesn't mean you and Troy aren't. I don't think we loved each other as much as you guys do." Cameron said.

I watched Troy for a moment, smiling to myself. "He's a good guy. When he gets a job and a house and his life together and is ready for a serious commitment and a family, I'll say yes. I want…" I trailed off when I saw Troy coming back.

"They had the coolest monkey thing over there. Did you read it already?" He asked Cameron.

"Yeah, I think I skimmed it." The older man said. "We should get back to the boys and Marie."

Troy wrapped his arm around me and we followed Cameron back to the bench where we first met. We sat for a minute before we saw them coming up. I jumped on Troy's back and he held my legs. I leaned my head on his back.

"You tired baby?" He asked.

"A little bit." I said.

"You can go back to the room if you're tired. The boy's and I were going to go check out the rest of the park. Meet up with us before dinner though." Mom said.

"Okay." I said, letting out a small yawn. "I have my room key." I said, looking at mom.

"Text me when you get there." She said, looking at me.

"We will." Troy said.

"Be safe." Cameron reminded us.

I nodded and Troy and I started walking away. "I'm not going to carry you all the way back to the hotel." Troy said.

I wiggled off of him, walking next to him again. "I know. Can we take a cab?" I asked, looking at him.

"Sure." He said, kissing the side of my head. "We can go swimming if you'd like." He suggested.

"Maybe a little later." I said, squeezing his hand.

* * *

I was leaning against the headboard and Troy was flipping through the TV channels. Music videos were playing on a channel and he stopped to watch them for a minute. I watched him stare intently at the screen. The one that was playing faded out and a new one faded in.

_"I threw a wish in the well._  
_Don't ask me I'll never tell._  
_I looked at you as it fell,_  
_Now you're in my way."_

"Seriously Troy?" I asked him. He was just watching the video. "Change it, I hate this song."

He turned to look at me and started mouthing the words.

_"Hey! I just met you._  
_And this is crazy._  
_So here's my number._  
_Call me maybe?_  
_It's hard to look right at you baby._  
_So here's my number_  
_Call me maybe?"_

I burst out laughing, picking up a pillow to throw at him. I chucked it at him but he caught it effortlessly. He started dancing to the song. I really should have recorded it. I watched him in amusement as he pranced around the hotel room like a twelve year old girl.

_"Before you came into my life I missed you so bad._  
_I missed you so bad._  
_I missed you so, so bad._  
_Before you came into my life I missed you so bad."_

"Sweet baby Jesus." I said, laying back. I couldn't watch him anymore. My stomach was hurting from laughing so hard. I giggled quietly to myself. Troy got on the bed and slowly climbed over me, laying on top of me. "You really know how to serenade a girl, Troy."

"Call me maybe. The most Romantic song, ever." He said, leaning down to kiss my lips slowly.

"Do you ever want to get married?" I asked him.

"What?"

I giggled quietly. "Not like anytime soon, but one day?"

"Of course. Who doesn't?" He said, looking at me. "Do you?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I do."

"Why do you ask me that?" Troy asked me.

"If we break up, do you think we could still be friends?" I asked him, ignoring his previous question.

"I don't know, Gabi. Why?" He rolled off me, watching me think.

"Would you hate me if I broke up with you?"

"It would really depend on the circumstances. Again, Why?"

"Just wondering." I said, turning to look at him. "I love you."

"I love you too." He said, kissing my cheek, cuddling up to me.

"If we break up, I still want to be your friend. You are my best friend. I never thought it was possible to have a boyfriend that is your best friend. For me it was always one or the other. But for you everything is different." I said, "You know what I mean?"

Troy nodded. "Yeah, I get it." His fingers drifted under my shirt. He played with my belly ring.

"Would you still love me, if I got a tramp stamp?" I asked, smirking.

He started laughing. "It would depend on what it is."

I laughed as well. " 'fuck me' right over my ass. Does that make you all hot and bothered?"

"You would never get a 'fuck me' tramp stamp."

"Maybe if I was drunk enough." I said shrugging.

Troy chuckled. "I'll make sure that doesn't happen."

"Butterfly, on my butt." I said, looking at him. "That's going to be my next tattoo."

"Why would you want a butterfly on your ass?" He asked me.

I shrugged. "Why not?"

Troy chuckled, shaking his head. "Whatever you want baby."

"I can get 'spank me' if you prefer that?" I asked, smirking.

"You clearly need to get spanked." He said, grinning at me.

"I can get my vagina pierced?" Troy made a face at me. "nipples?" He made another face. "Nipple?"

Troy laughed. "Baby, it's your body."

"But you made those faces at me. You clearly have opinions."

"I know I do but I can keep them to myself. I have no right to tell you what or what not to do." He leaned over kissing my neck slowly. "If you want your body marked, I'll gladly do it for you." He started sucking on my neck. One hand was propping him up and the other was making it's way to my thigh.

I closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling of his lips on my neck. I moaned quietly, relaxing against the bed. My phone started ringing, interrupting us. He pulled away from me and I picked my phone up. "Hello?"

"You forgot to text me."

"Shit! Sorry mom. We're at the hotel. We got here like 20 minutes ago." I looking over at Troy who made a face at me.

"I'm just making sure you were okay. Remember we're meeting up for dinner. And Behave." She said.

I laughed. "We're on our best behavior. Bye mom."

"Bye." We hung up and I set my phone back down.

I laid down next to Troy and he pulled me over to him. "What is the first thing you want to do when we go to California?" He asked, looking at me.

"Go to the beach." I said, looking at him.

"It's going to be winter though."

"I know, I still want to go. Or drive down the coast." I said, looking up at him. "I'm taking my car."

"I'm taking the truck too." He said. "We'll find a way to each other somehow."

"There's always BART." I reminded him. "I want to go on BART too! I want to go to every station. Fremont, all the way out to Dublin, Up to Richmond. Everywhere."

Troy chuckled. "We can do that."

"It's kind of like riding the monorail at Disneyland, but a little more ghetto." We laughed quietly. He held his arms around me a little tighter. I laid contently in his arms. If we ever did break up these are the times I would miss the most. We could always find new things to talk about.

I'd tell him about everything I ever wanted to do and he'd tell me we can do it together. I've never met somebody like Troy Bolton in my 18 years of living. If there is a god, I thank him for creating such a perfect human being. There is no way in hell that I deserve to have him but I'm glad that I do.

"What are you thinking about beautiful?" He asked me softly.

I looked over at him and realized he was probably staring at me the whole time. I felt the blush creep on my cheeks. "Just thinking about you."

Troy chuckled. "Remember when I used to annoy you? Now you daydream about me."

I laughed. "Shut up. You are a moment ruiner."

"It's one of my specialties." He said, kissing my cheek. "Cheers to romance."

I kissed his lips, rolling my eyes at him. "Cheers."

* * *

**What do you think Gabi was going to end the unfinished sentence with? Leave me a review, i want to know your opinions. I forgot how much i loved this story. I'm glad, you guys are glad it's back. And if you don't know what that song was, you've obviously been living under a rock for all of 2012. I love you all. Don't forget to review! :)**


	30. Dress

When we got home from New York, I literally threw my bags into my room and ran over to Troy's. We were going to go visit his mom who was still in the hospital. He came outside as I walked across his lawn. We hopped in his truck and we drove down to the hospital. We parked, rushing inside quickly. Troy looked a little anxious as we rode the elevator up to the third floor. I held his hand, squeezing it tightly.

Troy lead us out of the elevator, walking over to the desk for visitor's passes. Victoria, Lucy's usual nurse was sitting behind the desk. She smiled, greeting us. "Troy, Gabi. How was New York?" She asked, writing on the stickers she had.

"It was fun." Troy said grinning. "How's mom doing?"

She gave us a small smile. "She's fighting."

"That's all we can ask for right?" I said, squeezing his hand a little tighter.

Troy and Victoria both nodded handing us each a sticker. I placed it on my chest and Troy did the same. She directed us to Lucy's new room and I let Troy walk in first. I followed closely behind him. Lucy was laying in the bed. She looked much paler than when we left. Her eyes were a duller green. She just looked like she had the life sucked out of her. It made my chest tighten.

Troy squeezed my hand tightly. "Hey Mama." He said quietly, walking closer to her bed. He touched her hand carefully.

"Hey baby. Hey Sweetheart." She said, greeting both of us with a weak smile. "How was New York? You have to tell me all about it."

"It was beautiful Ma. Gabi won her fight. We saw Wicked, you would love it." He took a seat and I stood behind him, rubbing his shoulders comfortingly. "We went to the Zoo."

Lucy smiled. "You love the Zoo."

"We saw the monkeys and the snake just ate it's breakfast. Did you know that Penguins don't have junk?" He asked his mom.

Lucy laughed quietly. "I did not know that."

"Gabi taught me that." He said, looking up at me.

I smiled. "I'm full of useless information."

"Nonsense." She protested. "What else did you do?"

"We went to these amazing restaurants and walked around a part of Central Park. Gabi and I went on an adventure looking for the café from FRIENDS." Troy said. "It doesn't exist."

"We were heartbroken." I said.

She laughed quietly. "Only you." She shook her head. "Did you go to Times Square?"

"Yes! It was huge and crowded but so worth it. We wanted to go see the statue of Liberty and all the tourist-y spots but we didn't have enough time." Troy said. "Maybe next Trip we'll go see them."

"You do that. You go and see the whole world, okay? I've always wanted to go backpacking through Europe. You go do that for me? Okay? Go to some third world countries and help them out. Go see the Seven wonders of the world. Do everything while you're young and healthy." She said, looking at both of us. "I want you to have a full life."

"I will Mama." He said, leaning down to kiss her hand.

She coughed a little bit. "Troy, baby. Can you go get some tea for Gabi and I?"

Troy got up. "Yes, of course. Do you want anything in it?"

"Just a little sugar." I said.

"Plain is fine for me." Lucy said.

We watched Troy walk out of the room and I sat down where Troy was. "How are you doing?" I asked her quietly, holding her hand.

"Not well." She said, tiredly. "I don't know how long I have left." I bit my bottom lip to keep it from trembling. "Can you do something for me?"

"Anything." I said, my eyes tearing up.

"If anything happens to you and Troy, God forbid it does, Always be there to take care of him and Jack. Keep them busy. Let Troy chase his dreams but make sure he doesn't forget where he came from. Jack is a great business man, don't let him dive headfirst into work and forget about Troy." I felt the tears running down my cheeks. "Oh sweetheart, don't cry."

I didn't say anything. I just wiped my tears on my shirt, sniffling. "It's going to be hard." I said quietly.

"God, I know. I'd never thought I'd be leaving my boys this early." I let out a sob, holding her hand tighter. "I'm so glad Troy found you sweetheart. That boy loves you more than anything, hell we all do. You're already part of the family. Speaking for family… it's okay to forgive the people that have wronged you. Forgiveness is for yourself."

"I'm not good enough for him." I said, quietly. I tried not to blubber but that's sort of the way it came out.

"But Gabi, you are. I've seen the little girls he used to bring around. You give them all a run for their money. You are going to make me some beautiful grandbabies, I'll always be there with them. My great grandma was named Grace Anne, but she made us call her Gigi. She said grandma made it sound like she was old. I always wanted to be a GiGi when I had grandkids. If I had a girl, I would have named her Grace." She said, trailing off. Her eyes started to close. I decided to let her rest. I rubbed her hand slowly, watching her sleep for a moment. Her pulse was beating against my hand, a comforting reassurance.

"Okay! I have two cups of Tea!" Troy announced as he walked into the door.

I smiled up at him. "She just fell asleep."

"Are you crying?" He asked, worriedly. He handed me a cup of tea and knelt beside me. "Are you okay?"

"I was, I'm okay now." I said, giving him a soft smile.

"Are you sure?" He asked, I brought the cup up to my lips. I sipped the hot liquid carefully nodding my head. "What did you guys talk about?"

"Just girl talk." I said, watching him get back up. I took the cup from his hand, placing it on the table beside the bed. I took a seat on the couch while Troy sat back in the spot beside the bed. I watched him talk to her quietly while she was sleeping. I thought about all of the things that Lucy had said to me. I hoped she was wrong. I hoped she didn't get taken away from her family.

We spent most of the rest of spring break beside Lucy in the hospital bed. It was no secret that she was getting worse and worse. Troy kept trying to deny it, especially when Jack was around. Cameron and Mom were still talking about moving into our house. Mom talked to me for a little bit about it before she left for her newest business trip. She'd be back by Wednesday.

* * *

School started again and Prom was coming up. Troy and I never really talked about going to prom. Sharpay, of course, wouldn't shut up about it. We finally figured out it was the weekend of my last boxing match so I couldn't go. I did encourage Troy to go, not that he ever said he was going to.

"Can you really help me find a dress, please?" Sharpay pleaded me for the fourth time today. She was walking me to the car after the second day back from school.

"Yes. Fine. Okay. Only if you shut up then I'll help you." I said, looking at her. "When do you plan on doing this?"

"Um, right now?" She said hopefully, a bright grin on her face.

"Fine. Let's go." I said, pulling out my phone. "I'm going to call Troy."

"Alright, meet me at my place in like 20." Sharpay said. "Tootles babe." She sauntered over to her car.

I rolled my eyes and got in my car. I decided not to call Troy. I drove home and flipped through my homework quickly. I made myself a snack before I hopped into my car. I took a quick trip to the Hospital where I knew Troy will be.

"Hey beautiful." Troy said quietly as I walked into the room.

"Hey." I said, looking over at his mom who was sleeping. "She's sleeping?"

He nodded, pulling me onto his lap. "I didn't see you after school."

"Sharpay kidnapped me." I sighed. "In fact I'm helping her look for a prom dress." I said, looking up at him.

"Really now? How'd she trick you into that?"

"Two days of constant nagging. Like every time I saw her. Prom Dress, Prom Dress, Prom Dress." I said in my best Sharpay voice. "I was about ready to strangle the bitch but I love her too much." I shrugged. "I wanted to stop by before we left to give you this." I leaned in and gave him a soft kiss.

"Mmm." He said, kissing my lips again. "I felt like I haven't kissed you all day." He said in between kisses.

"You really haven't. Sharpay has been on my ass." I said, kissing him again. "I have to get going."

He pouted. "Don't go."

"I'll be gone for a couple hours. I'll be brutally honest to Sharpay so hopefully this will be quick." I said. "Are you coming over to mine tonight?"

"Yeah." He said, kissing my forehead. "I love you."

"I love you more." I said, kissing his lips slowly. "I'll see you soon."

"Bye beautiful." He said, watching me get up.

"Give mama a hug for me when she wakes up." I said, waving to him as I walked out of the door.

I made my back to my car and drive over to Sharpay's. I hadn't been here since the whole dinner incident. We didn't really talk about it or Donna. I sat in her driveway, waiting for her. I called her cell.

"Sharpay Evans." She answered.

"I'm outside."

"Come in." She said. "Duh."

"I'd rather not." I said, picking at my steering wheel cover.

"Oh, just come on." She said.

I sighed. "I really don't want to."

"Just get your ass out of the car. Go up to the door and open it then come up to my room." She said in a duh tone.

"No." I said. "You have 10 minutes or I'm leaving."

"Gabi!" She whined.

"You have five now." I said, hanging up the phone.

I pulled out my phone and flipped through it. I texted Troy while I waited for Sharpay. I looked at the time and sighed. This bitch needed to hurry up. There was a knock on the window. Donna was standing there. I jumped a little then rolled down the window.

"Hi Gabriella. I brought you some water. I know Sharpay and She's going to be a while." She said, handing me the bottle.

I looked at her, surprised. "Um, thank you." I said, taking the water bottle.

"I was going to bring you some goldfish because I remembered you like those but I decided against it because we don't actually have any in the house." She laughed, nervously.

I shrugged. "Well, I was six when you last saw me." I licked my lips. "I'm sorry about last time I was here."

"You don't have to apologize. I get it, I really do and I'm sorry." She said. "I love my husband and I love Ryan and Sharpay. I'm not proud of who I was before but I'm not that person anymore."

I nodded. "I see that now. Sharpay loves you and Sharpay is my best girl-friend. I want to get along for her sake." I said, looking up at her. "Thank you again, for the water."

"No problem Gabi." Donna said with a smile, walking away from the car.

If only Gabi five months ago could see me now. She would have beaten the shit out of me for doing so many things. I guess that's a part of growing up right? Growing and forgiving. Forgiveness was for yourself like Lucy said. Dad or Donna didn't have anything over me. I haven't felt this at ease in a long time. The last person I needed to forgive was Cole McCormick, that I had to do face to face.

"Good! You didn't leave!" Sharpay said walking carefully along the cement. She got into my car. "We're going to the airport." She said as she buckled herself.

"The airport?" I repeated.

Sharpay nodded. "Yes. You didn't think we'd go prom dress shopping in this rinky-dink town, would we?" She asked smirking.

I shrugged. "I thought we were going to like Macy's or something." I said, looking at her.

She scrunched up her face. "God no, we're taking the helicopter."

* * *

Two and a half hours later we were in Los Angeles. We were met by a driver hired by the Evans family. We were driven to many, many upscale dress stores. Some only took appointments and were booked for the day until she said her name. They made room for Sharpay. I don't know why she was going to find some over the top, expensive gown she'd only wear once.

We were in the fifth store we'd been too and she came out in a white gown. I scrunched up my nose. "Getting married?"

She scoffed and went back in. "I've tried on thirty dresses Gabriella and you have liked none of them!" She complained.

"None of them have been good." I said, resting my chin on my hand.

She came out in a light blue spaghetti strapped dress. It was flow-y but didn't cling to her body awkwardly. It had beautiful beadwork along the top area. She circled and the back was even more amazing. It was a partially open back that looked amazing on her. I was speechless. "so?" She asked me.

I grinned at her. "That is the one."

Sharpay looked at me, surprised. "Really? You like it?"

"No, I love it." I said, getting up. "It's perfect!"

"Are you sure?" She asked.

I got up. "Sharpay. Look at yourself. You look gorgeous." I said, grinning at her.

She smiled brightly. "I do, don't I?" She looked at her self in the mirror.

"The real question is Do you love it?" I asked her.

She nodded. "I love it."

I smiled. "Good."

"You should try a dress on." She said, looking at me.

I shook my head. "No thank you."

"Come on, just one. Please?" She begged.

I sighed. "Fine. Go pick one out." She went back in the dressing room and got changed. She came out and searched for a moment before picking one out. She handed it over to me. I sighed and walked into the dressing room. I changed into the strapless, deep purple dress. It was long, mermaid style. It was pretty but it wasn't me. I walked out of the dressing room and she looked at me.

"I don't like it. I'm going to pick another one." Sharpay stated.

"I said I would try on one, not two." I said but she already walked away. I walked back into the dressing room, waiting for her to bring back dress number two. She came back with a long red dress. I put it on and looked at myself. It was a halter with an open back and a plunging V neckline. It made my ass look fantastic. This was my kind of dress.

I walked out to see Sharpay and she gasped. "Oh my god!" She squealed. "You look fabulous! All you need is some black 'fuck me' heels and you would look perf!"

I laughed. "I actually really love this one." I said, looking at her.

"I'm going to buy it for you."

"Why? I'm never going to wear it." I said, looking at her, confused.

"I'm sure you can find somewhere to wear it." She said, rolling her eyes.

"You don't need to buy it Shar." I said, looking at her.

"I'm not buying it. Daddy is" She said, holding up a credit card. I sighed. "Get out of that dress and let's go."

I rolled my eyes and walked back into the dressing room. I hung the dress back up and got changed. I walked out and looked around for Sharpay, she disappeared. I put the dress on the rack and looked around for Sharpay. "Sharpay?" I whispered loudly, looking around. "God damn it." I cursed to myself.

"Gabi!" She called my name. I looked around and saw her at the register with the red and the blue dress. That fucking bitch.

I walked over to her. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Buying my dress." She said rolling her eyes.

"I told you not to buy the red dress." I said, pointing to it.

"I didn't buy it. Daddy did."

I groaned, frustrated. "I'm going to go wait in the car." I said, walking out towards the door. I walked out and got into the car. Sharpay came out a little while later. The driver holding the boxes for her. I rolled my eyes as she got in the car. "We ready?" I asked her.

"Yep!" She said cheerfully.

The driver took us back to the airport and we got back in the helicopter. I had the noise blocking head set on. I looked out the windows at all the lights we were flying over. Riding in the helicopter was pretty fucking cool. We landed in Albuquerque and We brought the boxes to my car. I dropped Sharpay off at home and she left me with the red dress.

I got home, carrying the box upstairs. I opened the door to my room and saw Troy standing in my room, watching TV. I jumped, dropping the box on the floor. "Fuck Troy." I held my hand over my heart. "Warn a girl. Won't you?" I let out a breath.

He turned to me, grinning. "Sorry baby. What's this?" He asked, picking up the dress box.

"Sharpay made me try on two dresses and she bought one of them for me." I said, sighing. I took the box and put it in the back of my closet.

"Why don't you put it on for me?" He asked, putting his hands on my hips.

"How about I don't?" I said, smirking. I turned to face him, closing my closet door with my foot. "How about we make out instead?" I asked, smiling.

He thought for a moment. "Well I can't argue with that." Troy said grinning. He picked me up and carried me over to my bed. He laid on top of me and kissed my lips firmly. His hands wandered all over my body. He cupped my butt, pulling my hips against his.

Troy pried his tongue in my mouth, causing me to giggle. I bit down on it gently. I pushed him away from me but he attacked my neck with kisses. "Troy." I said, giggling quietly. He had a little stubble on his chin that was tickling me.

"I thought we were making out." He asked, pulling away to look at me.

"You need to shave." I said, looking at him. I rubbed his stubble.

"You can shave my head, my stubble and my balls if you'd like." He said, looking at me.

I smirked. "Can I really? Can I do your armpits too?"

"No." He said. "I can't be completely hairless." I rolled my eyes. "Let's do it." He climbed off of me and I got up. "I have clippers at my house. I have to go get them."

"Alright. I'll clean up my bathroom." I said, excitedly.

I cleaned up my bathroom, pulling the stool in front of the mirror. I waited for him to get back. He came back with a pair of clippers. I plugged them in and Troy took his shirt off. I started the clippers and started on his hair. It was easy to give him a buzz cut. I even lined him up, he looked really sexy. I used my blow dryer to get the extra hair off him. He turned around and I started on his face.

"This is really romantic babe." He said as I spread some of my shaving cream on his face. "This smells like fruit." He said frowning.

"Stop complaining." I said, picking up a razor. He sat silently as I shaved his face. He rinsed off his face and he was as smooth as a babies butt. "You look so handsome." I grinned at him, giving him a kiss.

He chuckled. "I'm glad. You did a great job." He said rubbing his face. "You should be a manscaper."

I laughed. "I'm your personal manscaper. Now I have to shave your balls." I said, grinning.

"Can we do it in the shower?" He asked, hopefully.

I shrugged. "Why not?"

* * *

**Haappy sunday y'all. Don't they just have the weirdest relationship? I'm going to put a chapter of FAL up later. Um, i cannot type for the life of me today... So i'll go before i wear out my backspace key. Lol. Don't forget to review!**


	31. Fix

"Mom?" I called her. It was Wednesday night after school. She just got home from her little business trip. She was going to relax for a day then go hang out with Cameron tomorrow. She was going to go surprise him after work, it was pretty cute.

"Yeah Gabi?" She asked, sitting on the couch. She was watching some Lifetime movie. She peeled her eyes away from the TV to look at me.

"Can I go to San Diego this weekend?" I asked her.

She looked at me surprised. "San Diego? For what?"

"Some unfinished business." I said, avoiding her eyes.

"Gabriella. Tell me what's going on." I finally made eye contact with her. It felt like she was looking right into my soul. I don't know how she could do that.

I licked my lips, nervously. "I want to see Cole."

"Cole? Why?" She keep her hard gaze.

I sighed. "I want to apologize… to him and to Corey."

"Apologize?" She asked, looking at me.

"For getting… violent." I said, looking back at her. "I need it. I need closure from it. I want to apologize to him then I can be okay."

She ran her hand through her hair. "Who's going with you?"

"Nobody, just me." I said, rubbing my elbow.

"You're not going alone. Have Troy go with you."

"I don't know if he'll want to. Besides, he probably doesn't want to leave his mom." I sighed. "I'll ask him though."

"Hey Montez' Girls." Troy said as he walked through the door.

"Speak of the devil." Mom said, grinning at him. "Hey Troy."

"Hey Mama Montez." He gave her a kiss on the cheek before he greeted me with a hug. "What were you talking about?"

"Gabi wants to know if you'd go with her to San Diego this weekend." Mom said, looking at us.

"Mom!" I groaned.

Troy stiffened up. "San Diego? Why?"

"She wants to apologize to Cole and Corey." Mom said, looking at us.

"Mom!" I smacked my forehead.

"Who is Cole and Corey?" Troy asked with his eyebrow raised.

"Dare guy." I explained. "And his friend."

"Which one is which?" He asked, looking at me.

"Corey dared Cole to go out with me, etcetera." I said, looking at him.

"Hate that little asshole." Mom said to herself causing me and Troy to laugh.

"So will you come with me? It won't take long. We'll probably fly there and back in one day. Hell me and Sharpay did it yesterday." I got an idea. "Sharpay!" I unwrapped Troy's arms from around me and walked up the stairs to get my phone.

I called Sharpay. "Sharpay Evans."

"Hey bitch, what are you doing on Saturday?" I licked my lips.

"I don't know, why?"

"Do you want to fly to San Diego with me and Troy?" I rubbed my nose.

"For what?" She asked.

"I'm going to go see my ex boyfriend."

"Really?" She asked. I could hear the smirk on her face. "The one you beat up?"

"Yep."

"Hell yeah. I'm in. We can take the Jet. I think daddy's going out on business." She said. "I'll ask my mom though."

"Sweet. We'll talk tomorrow." I said. "Bye Shar."

"Tootles bitch." She said before hanging up.

I felt Troy wrap his arms around me. "Who was that?"

"Shar." I said, leaning back against him. "We're going to take her jet, she's going. She wants to watch apparently."

Troy chuckled. "Alright." I turned around. "I love you." He nuzzled his nose into my neck.

"I love you too." I said, running my hand down the back of his neck. "How's your mom?"

He sighed. "She pretends like she's okay, but she's not good." He said, pulling away from me. I could see this was killing him. Anybody would hate to see their mother in that much pain. He blinked his eyes a couple times before he looked away.

I frowned, pulling him back to me. He buried his face in my neck. I rubbed his scalp slowly. "It will be okay babe." I said quietly. "You're doing great at being strong for her. She's so lucky to have you."

"I'm so lucky to have you." He mumbled, wrapping his arms around me tighter. He kissed my neck gently. He pulled away from me and kissed my lips gently. He laid on the bed and closed his eyes. "I'm so tired."

"Go to sleep baby." I said, sitting on the bed next to him. I got up and pulled back the covers. "Come on." I said, looking at him.

He opened one of his eyes before he opened the other. He got up and got comfortable. He crawled into bed. I turned down the lights and I sat down next to him. I crossed my legs in front of me and rubbed his scalp slowly. "You always take such good care of me."

"And You do, me. I'd do anything for you because I love you." I smiled down at him.

"Will you sing for me?" He asked, grinning, with his eyes closed.

I rolled my eyes. "I suppose." I licked my lips trying to think of a song.

_"When you try your best but you don't succeed._  
_When you get what you want but not what you need._  
_When you feel so tired but you can't sleep,_  
_Stuck in reverse._  
_And the tears come streaming down your face._  
_When you lose something you can't replace._  
_When you love someone but it goes to waste._  
_Could it be worse?_

_Lights will guide you home_  
_And ignite your bones_  
_I will try to fix you."_

Troy hummed. "I like that song." He said sleepily.

"Who doesn't love that song?" I asked rhetorically, rubbing his scalp.

"Don't know baby." He mumbled. I leaned down and kissed his head. I hummed the rest of the song before I laid down next to him. He wrapped his arms around me tightly. I relaxed against him.

My door opened and mom peaked her head in. "Night baby." She said.

"Goodnight mom." I said quietly. She gave me a smile and she closed the door behind her.

* * *

We got up at five on Saturday to leave for San Diego for the day. I was going to show them around town a little bit before I went to go see Cole. We were sitting in Sharpay's Private Jet and Troy looked like he was afraid to touch anything. Sharpay was talking away like she always was and I was just looking out the window. I think she was saying something about prom, I wasn't really listening.

"Troy, are you going to prom?" She asked him. This caught my attention. I didn't turn my head though.

"I'm not sure. It wouldn't be the same without Gabi, but I might." He said. I felt his eyes on me.

I turned to look at him. "I think you should go. Go out with a bang, ya know?" I said shrugging. "I'll be in Vegas."

"We know." Sharpay said, rolling her eyes. "We need to find an occasion for you to wear your red dress."

"She didn't show it to me." Troy said, looking at Sharpay.

She gasped then smirked. "Probably because she didn't feel like being humped." I snorted, bursting out in giggles. "She tells me about what you two do."

"Hey Gabi, what happened to 'I don't kiss and tell'?" Troy asked, smirking.

I shrugged. "Sharpay doesn't count. Girl code."

"I haven't even told Chad." He said.

"I don't care anymore. I mean we're all friends. I'm sure they can figure out how sexually active we are. When were together your hands don't leave my body." I smirked.

"He's too focused on Taylor anyway." He said looking at me.

"Are they together or what?" Sharpay asked, looking at us.

Troy shrugged. "Who knows."

"I don't think they even know." I said, crossing my legs.

"I think we need to have another strip Mario Kart Party." Sharpay said. "This time with some Vodka or something."

Troy and I laughed. "It's not going to be at my house. My mom's like anti-alcohol, for me especially." I said, looking at her. "She'd kick my ass."

"We'll just have it at my house. Mom and daddy are going on vacation anyway." Sharpay flipped her hair back. "Maybe Ryan can bring his boyfriend over." Sharpay thought out loud then her eyes widened. "Oh my god. You're not supposed to know!" She said, looking at Troy.

I looked over at Troy. "I don't care if Ryan's gay." Troy said, looking over at Sharpay. "I talk to him in Econ sometimes. He's a cool dude."

"Really? You're not weirded out by it?" She asked, interested.

"No. Why would I be? Some dudes like dudes. Mr. Ferguson next door is gay."

"Really? Mr. F?" I asked, looking over at him.

"He's totally gay. Mom and Dad went to his wedding a couple years ago. Mike, his husband is in the Army." Troy said.

"Hm." I said, sitting back in my seat. "Interesting."

When we landed we got a car that Sharpay set up for us. We didn't need a driver this time. I hopped in the front seat and buckled up. Troy got in the front and Sharpay sat in the back. "I'm going to take you past my old school, then my old house then my favorite place in San Diego." I said, looking at them.

Driving down the streets of San Diego were kind of bittersweet. I loved the city but I hated the memories I had here. It was a beautiful city and I wish I could have switched the people from Albuquerque to here. I looked around and turned down the street. I pulled in the driveway of the school. "Wow." Sharpay said.

"Yeah, it's pretty nice. People are condescending though." I said, looking out the window.

"Let's see your old house." Troy said, grinning at me.

"Okay." I pulled out of the parking lot and drove down the street from the school. It wasn't that far. I slowed down and parked I front of the driveway. "That's it." I continued driving until I got to the beach. I parked and got out.

"Gabi? Where are you going?" Troy called.

I smiled and walked towards the beach. "My favorite place here." I ran down to the sand and stopped in my tracks. "Caleb?" I asked confused.

He turned to me. "Gabi?" He squinted through his glasses. He walked over to me then grinned. "You're bald."

I laughed. "I know. How are you?" I asked, hugging him tightly.

"I'm good, how have you been? Where did you move to? Alabama?" He asked, pushing his glasses up.

"Albuquerque, New Mexico. I'm great. I'm really, really happy." I said, smiling.

"Good, I'm glad. You deserve to be happy." He looked behind me. "Who's this?"

I turned around to see Troy and Sharpay walking up. He was helping her through the sand in heels. She gave up and kicked the off. I giggled to myself. "That is my best friend, Sharpay and my boyfriend Troy."

He frowned a little. "Boyfriend?"

I nodded, watching Caleb out of the corner of my eye. "You didn't tell me we were going to the beach!" Sharpay shrieked.

I laughed. "It was your idea to walk through the sand in them." I looked over at Caleb. "Caleb this is Sharpay and Troy. Guys, this is Caleb, my ex boyfriend."

Sharpay smirked a little bit. "Nice to meet you Caleb."

"You too." He said, looking at both of them. "Have you seen McCormick yet?"

I shook my head. "Not yet. I'm going to go see him later."

Caleb made a face. "Why?"

"I need to talk to him." I said, licking my lips. "I showed them the school and my old house, now I'm showing them my favorite place in San Diego." I grinned.

"I heard the waters always warm. Is that true?" Troy asked, looking out into the water.

I nodded. "Always, come on." I kicked off my shoes and then my socks. "Shar, are you staying here?"

She sighed. "I guess."

"Sweet." I left my shoes net to her then took off my sweater. I dropped it in the sand and started running towards the water. It was a beautiful day. I stepped in the water and saw Troy running after me. I grinned. "You better not throw me in." I yelled.

He picked me up and started spinning around. He put me down and I wobbled a little bit but he caught me. He steadied my hips. "You alright babe?"

I nodded. "I'm great." He leaned in and I kissed his lips slowly. "I thought it would be weird coming back but it doesn't really bother me now that I'm here."

"Good." He squeezed my waist and kissed my forehead. "I'm glad. Did you only associate guy's with C names here?"

"Apparently." I said, wrapping my arms around his neck. "I can't wait to get to here."

"I can't wait to spend the next four years with you." He leaned in and kissed my lips slowly.

"Hey Bitch! Let's go! You can make out at home! Shit!" Sharpay yelled over at us.

Troy and I both laughed, pulling away. Troy laced my fingers against mine and we walked back over to our stuff. I picked up my shoes and held my sweater. "How long have you been together?"

"Three months on the 21st… tomorrow." He said, grinning at me.

"Wow, three months already?" Sharpay asked, raising her eyebrows.

I looked at her and nodded. "He's put up for my shit for three months." I patted his arm. "Way to go, you're a trooper."

Troy laughed, rolling his eyes. "You're not that bad."

Caleb gave us a small smile. "I should be going. I have to go pick up my sister from her friends house. It was nice to see you again. It was nice to meet you both."

He shook hands with Troy and I hugged him. "Take care Caleb."

"You too." He said, walking down the beach.

"We should go too." I said, looking at both of them. We walked back to the car and I put my shoes back on after wiping as much sand off as I could.

"He was still totally into you Gabi." Sharpay said as she got into the car.

"Why do you say that?" I asked, looking at her through the rear view.

She looked down at her cuticles. "He was watching you and Troy make out and he looked like you just ripped his heart out."

"We broke up like six months ago, before I even moved." I said. I turned on the car and drove around for a little bit. I stopped in front of Cole's house. I let out a deep breath.

"You don't have to do this." Troy said, rubbing my arm.

"Yes I do." I said, sighing. "I'll be right back." I got out of the car and walked around. Troy got out of the car. "You don't have to get out."

"I'm just going to stand right here." He said, leaning against the car. "I'll only intervene if I have to."

I sighed at him before Sharpay got out of the car. I turned and walked down the walkway towards the door. I took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. I rubbed my head as Mrs. McCormick answered the door. "Can I help you?"

"Is Cole here?" I asked.

"Yes, I'll go get him." She said, closing the door.

I waited for a moment and Cole answered the door. He looked at me for a minute. "Gabi?" He asked confused.

"Hi Cole." I said, looking at him.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, looking behind me.

"I wanted to talk to you about what happened." I said, licking my lips.

"Okay…" He said, trailing off. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I was going to ask you why you did what you did but it was money motivated. I know now that you didn't care about me and you used me and I gave up more than I should have. Even though you really didn't necessarily apologize to me, I didn't really give you the chance. I don't want you to say it just because I'm asking you to and I'm not. I don't want you to say it if you're not sincere. What you did, it hurt me. It fucked me up more than I already was. I hated you for so long, just like I hated my father for leaving my mom and I. I grew up a little since I moved. I've found people that love me and accept me through all of my bullshit and that is more than I could ever ask for." I licked my lips. "I'm getting off topic here, but I just wanted to say I'm sorry for not giving you a chance to apologize. I'm sorry for physically hurting you and Corey. Although I don't understand why you did what you did. I forgive you."

Cole raised his eyebrows at me when I let out a breath. "Wow. Well, I am sorry for what I did. I was a total dick to you. I'm glad you're doing well for yourself and I forgive you too."

"Do you know if Corey is home? I have to apologize to him too." I looked up at Cole.

"Actually, he's here. I'll go get him." Cole said, walking inside.

I looked back at Troy. He and Sharpay were standing on the side walk a couple feet away. Troy smiled at me and I gave him a small smile before I turned back around. "Wow, you are bald." Corey said as he walked out.

"Hi Corey." I said, letting out a breath.

"Why did you come back to San Diego?" He asked.

"I needed to talk to you and Cole." I said, looking at him.

Corey smirked. "Who are they? Did you hire them to be friends with you?"

"No, I didn't. I'm not like you. I don't manipulate people just because I'm bored." I spat back at him. I rubbed my forehead. "Look Corey, I didn't come to fight with you. I wanted to say I'm sorry for getting violent."

"Just because you sucker punched me doesn't mean anything." He crossed his arms.

"Corey, just shut up and listen." Cole said from behind him.

"You're agreeing with this bitch? She's nothing but a slut anyway." Corey said.

"I am not a slut and you know that. I know Cole reported back to you. You can call me a bitch all you want but I'm not a slut. You're a delusional piece of shit. You don't even deserve my apology. I was going to forgive you but you can kiss my ass instead." I started walking closer to him.

"Fuck you, you stupid bitch."

I charged at him but Troy held me back almost immediately. "Let me go." I tried to pry Troy's arms off me.

Cole shoved Corey. "Shut the fuck up dude. Grow up. You're acting like you're twelve." Corey grumbled something I couldn't hear.

Troy held me a little while longer until I calmed down. I let out a breath. "I'm okay. Troy. I'm okay." I said, when he wouldn't let me go. He finally did and I walked back over to Corey and Cole. "I forgive you for being the biggest asshole I've ever met. I'm sorry you're stuck with him Cole. I hope you find better friends in college. Goodbye Cole."

"Goodbye Gabi." Cole said, giving me a small smile.

I turned around and walked back to Troy. He laced my fingers in between his. "I fucking hate that prick." I grumbled. Troy opened the door for me before giving me a kiss. I got in the car and he closed it. He got in the drivers seat. I put my head in my hands. "I have a headache."

* * *

**So you finally meet Dare guy and his friend, who is a total d-bag. I'll upload another chapter later. Review if you like it, Review if you don't. Just leave me something to work with here. Don't forget to review!**


	32. Prom

Sharpay still had prom fever. I was spending most of my time after school prepping for my final fight. Lucy was still in the hospital. Cameron was starting to move in. Jack spent most of his time at work. Mom was home for the week. I was seeing less and less of Troy. He was starting to worry me.

I'd run to the park where Troy and Chad usually were. But they weren't there… at least Troy wasn't. He has been really distracted lately and I don't blame him. He's having a hard time dealing with his mom's illness. He'd spend his nights with her instead of me. I'd go see him there and watch him watch her. My heart broke for him. I hated seeing him so withdrawn and upset. There was nothing I could really do.

I was sitting in my car after school. It was Friday and Troy had left school early, skipping out on his last couple of classes. I had to leave for Vegas in a couple of hours. I was debating on finishing packing or going to see him first. I let out a sigh. I guess I should finish packing before I went and saw him.

I drove home and walked up to my room. I pulled out my duffle bag. I put some of the necessities in there. I wouldn't be there long. I would be coming back on Sunday morning. Mom wasn't coming with me this weekend because of work. I zipped up my bag and grabbed my purse. I walked out to my car, putting my stuff in my trunk.

I couldn't help but feel glum on the ride to the hospital. Nobody would be able to watch my last fight. Not mom, Not Sharpay, Not Troy. I parked and made my way into the building. I got a visitors pass after a quick chat with Victoria. I walked over to Lucy's room and opened the door quietly. I stepped into the room and closed the door behind me.

Troy's head whipped over to me when the door clicked shut. He stared at me for a second then looked back at Lucy who was sleeping. The beeping of her heart monitor was the only sound in the quiet sterile room. I made my way over to him and sat down next to him. I rubbed my hands on my pants, leaning back against the cushion. The awkward silence was killing me. I didn't know what to say or do.

I licked my lips and Troy grabbed my hand, stopping the rubbing motion against my jeans. I looked over at him. He looked exhausted and scruffy. His stubble on his chin was growing out. I watched him pick up my hand and kiss it gently. He set down my hand and leaned his head against my arm. I scooted over and laid down across the couch. He did the same, leaning his head against my chest. I stroked his scalp slowly and he wrapped his arms around me. I hummed quietly. I dropped kisses on his head as he relaxed against me. I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the couch.

* * *

I heard voices murmuring. Troy stirred and my eyes popped open. I looked up at the time. "Shit!" I said a little too loudly.

Lucy and her doctor's head whipped over to me. "Good morning." She said with a knowing smile.

"Hi." I smiled up at her, shaking Troy's shoulders. "Troy get up, I have to go." I said quietly in his ear.

"What? Why?" He grumbled.

"I have a plane to catch. I'll be home soon, alright?" I said quietly, kissing his head. He sat up rubbing his face. I smiled at him. "You have sequin outlines on your face."

He smiled a little bit, rubbing his cheek. "They weren't the most comfortable to sleep on."

"Sorry babe." I got up. "I have to get going, I'll call you when I land."

"I'll walk you out." He said, blinking his eyes.

I walked over to Lucy. "I'll see you when I get back. Feel better." I kissed her bald head.

"Fight hard Gabi." She said, smiling weakly.

"You too." I rubbed her hand before walking towards the door.

"I'll be right back." Troy said quietly. He followed me out the door, to the elevator. He laced his fingers in between mine.

We stood in the elevator watching the doors close. "How are you?" I asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I'm fine." He said, avoiding my eyes.

"Troy." He turned to look at me. "Tell me the truth."

He sighed. "I haven't been sleeping well. I got kicked out of class for falling asleep. My grades are dropping… I just.." He trailed off, looking away again.

I frowned. "Why didn't you tell me? I could help you with school."

"You were busy with your training. I didn't want to bother you."

"Baby, your grades are more important than boxing. I love you and I want you to succeed. We only have less than a month left. I know it's hard but don't be afraid to ask for help; especially from me." I said, rubbing his back slowly.

He sighed. "I know…"

We walked out of the elevator and over to my car. I opened the door but didn't get in. "Hey, look at me." I said quietly, looking at him. He looked up at me. I wrapped my arms around his neck. "I want you to go home and get a good night's sleep okay? You could come to my house and sleep in my room if you'd like, the boys are coming over to set up their room. I want you to get some sleep and have fun at prom okay? Go have fun with your friends and have a good time. I'll miss you but I'll call you all the time." I leaned over and kissed his lips slowly.

"I love you." He leaned his forehead against mine.

I smiled at him. "I love you more. Relax, okay?" I kissed his lips then his forehead. "I'll be back soon."

"See you later." He said, helping me in the car. He closed my door and pressed his palm against the window. I pressed my palm against the window against his. He gave me a small smile before walking away.

I rushed through the airport with my bag and I made it just as my flight was getting called. I boarded the plane and sat in my seat. I listened to my iPod the plane ride over. I was sitting next to an older woman. I sighed to myself. I missed Troy already.

We landed in Vegas and I walked out to the baggage claim. Shane was waiting for me. I was going to stay with him since mom wouldn't be here. I ran over to him, hugging him tightly. "Hey Gabi."

"Hey" I said, pulling away from him. "This is all I have so we don't have to wait for anything."

He nodded. "Alright, let's go." We got into his car and he drove over to his apartment. He has a simple two bedroom apartment. He was single. He was more focused on his job than being in a relationship. He lead me over to the guest room. "I know it's kind of small but the bed is comfortable."

"It's fine, thank you." I smiled up at him. I set my bag down on the bed and we walked out into the living room.

"What's new?" He asked, sitting next to me on the couch.

I sighed. "My moms boyfriend and his two kids moved in. Tomorrow is prom and Sharpay doesn't shut up about it. Troy's going through a rough time with his mom. He's been so quiet lately. He says he's been barely sleeping. I want to help him but I don't know how I can."

"Just give him some time. All you can do is be there for him anytime he needs you." Shane said. "Do you like the boyfriend?"

"Cameron's nice. His kids are pretty cool but it feels weird. It's been only my mom and I for like twelve years." I explained, sitting back on the couch. "I don't know how to live with other people."

"Well you only have a couple months left before you go to college. Living with guy's isn't that bad."

"One is 15 and the other is 12." I said.

He made a face. "You have a your own bathroom right?" I nodded. "Be thankful for that."

"Ew! That's gross!" I made a face at what he was suggesting. "The hall bathroom has a lock. Thank god." Shane chuckled. "They're only there for the weekend anyway."

"How are you and Troy going to sneak around if they're there constantly?" Shane asked.

I rolled my eyes. "We could go to his house."

He looked at me with a horrified expression. "I was joking."

I smirked. "I'm not."

"Okay. I don't need to hear about this."

I laughed. "You're the one that asked. Do you have a girlfriend yet?"

He laughed, shaking his head. "Nope."

"Why not? You're ripped. You have nice hair. You shower. What's the problem?"

"I'm too busy whipping your sorry ass into shape."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. When we move to California, I'll find a nice educated girl for you."

Shane laughed. "Okay Gabi."

I grinned. "I will, I swear."

"I won't put it past you."

* * *

We ate dinner and talked a little more before I headed up to bed. I called Troy when I crawled into bed but he didn't answer. I hoped he was sleeping. I left him a quick voicemail letting him know I made it safely and that I missed him. I put my phone on the charger and curled up in the bed.

"Gabi, wake up." Shane said, tapping the bottom of my foot.

I opened my eyes and sat up. "Morning." I said, stretching out.

"Breakfast is ready at Casa de la Shane." He chuckled at his own joke. "Eat up cause we have a nice run ahead of us. We are going to go to the gym and I am going to kick your ass, then you can some back and take a sweet little nap."

I raised my eyebrows at him. "What time is it?" I asked, getting out of the bed.

"Time is a figment of your imagination. Breakfast. Let's go." He ordered.

I rolled my eyes and walked over to the kitchen. He slid me over a protein shake and a bowl of fruit salad. I picked the cup up and took a drink. I made a face. "I don't miss these."

Shane shook his head. "You should be glad you don't live here. I'd make you drink at least three of these every day."

"I remember. They still were disgusting." I took another drink before I put a piece of fruit in my mouth.

"Are you ready to work?" He asked, drinking a protein shake of his own.

"Always. I've been busting my ass for you all week." I said in between mouthfuls.

He nodded. "Good, hopefully I will pay off today. I can't believe you're retiring already."

"I had to do it sometime."

"You could be a great pro boxer Gabi." He said, looking at me.

I shook my head. "I really can't. I'm a shrimp. I don't have half the muscle mass as most female boxers do. I have an ivy league education waiting for me, I can't do everything forever." I shrugged my shoulders.

"You do deserve a break." He said sighing. "Just think about it okay?"

I nodded, and finished eating my breakfast. I got changed before we headed out and started running. We ran to the gym and worked out for a couple hours. We got back to the apartment and Shane set up an ice bath for me. I sat in the bucket of ice, listening to music on my phone. My phone rang and a picture of Troy and I popped on the screen. It was from our weekend at the Grand Canyon. We had somebody take a picture of us because we had no pictures together.

"Hello." I answered, staring at the picture.

"Hey baby." He responded tiredly.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked, shifting in the ice. I hissed, moving.

"I'm okay, Are you okay?" He asked.

I laughed. "Yeah, I'm in an ice bath. What are you doing?"

"Missing you." He sighed. "I wish I was up there."

"I'll be home soon. I miss you more. How's Mama doing?" I asked him.

"She's okay. I talked to Shane and we have a surprise for you if you win." He said, I could hear the grin.

"Oh, really? What's that?"

"You'll have to wait and see baby." He said. "You're going to love it though."

I sighed. "You tease me with a surprise and I have to wait for it. You're killing me Bolton."

He chuckled. "I know. But look, I have to get back in and check on my mom."

"Alright. Have fun at Prom Okay? Take pictures for me." I said.

"I will baby. I love you and I'll see you soon."

"I love you too, bye." I said, hanging up the phone.

My body was numb. I pushed myself out of the tub and turned all the hot water. I stretched my muscles. I felt better. I went into the room I was staying in and grabbed some clothes. I brought them back into the bathroom and got into the shower. I took a hot shower and dressed comfortably. I crawled into the bed, taking my promised nap.

* * *

I got up an hour and a half later. I felt great. I was ready for my fight. I got my stuff ready. I walked out into the living room where Shane was whirling protein shakes again. I made a face. "You're making more?" I asked, frowning.

"Yep. This one is just for you." He said, pushing over a cup.

I groaned and took it. "I'm ready, you know."

"Drink up and we can leave." He said, putting his into a cup.

I frowned, putting the cup up to my mouth. I took a long drink. "Can we drink and ride at the same time?"

"No." He said, drinking up.

I rolled my eyes and finished the shake. "Those are gross. I don't know how you drink them." I said, putting the cup in the sink.

"I suck it up. I'm not a pussy like you." He teased. I scoffed and hit his chest. "Hey, hey, hey. Save it for the ring."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. You are buying me the biggest cheeseburger tonight."

"No I'm not." He said, grabbing his keys. "Come on." He lead me down to his car. "We're not lingering. We're gonna come right back so you can change and we can eat."

"Sounds good." I said, buckling my seatbelt.

After fight prep, I was ready to go out to the ring. Shane and I went through the game plan and I walked out to the ring. It was a bitter sweet moment. This was my last match, boxing professionally. I was going to miss it but I knew I was on to bigger and better things. I can't wait to get to California and start up the gym, hang out with Troy at the beach. It was gonna to be perfect.

I stepped into the ring with a good attitude and determination to win. Six rounds later, that's exactly what I did. I was about two punches from a KO. I beat the girl by at least a hundred points. I felt really good and it was an amazing feeling to have. I gave Shane a big hug before we left the ring.

"I'm so proud of you Gabi." He said, kissing my forehead.

"Thank you for everything Shane. I love you." I hugged him tightly. We walked back into the dressing room and I changed quickly.

* * *

We headed back to his apartment. I found a box on the bed in the room I was staying in. I furrowed my eyebrows. I lifted up the box and saw the red dress from my closet sitting in the box. I saw a note and picked it up.

_'Congratulations baby. You had an amazing season and I am so thankful you shared that part of your life with me. I am so proud to have you as my girlfriend. Wear this and Enjoy the expensive dinner. I love you, beautiful. -T'_

I smiled to myself, biting my lip. I took another shower, walking back into the room. I saw another little box on top of the dress. I picked it up and there was a pair of ruby earrings. They matched the dress perfectly. They were gorgeous. I pulled on some pretty red panties I brought. I put the dress on without the bra. My boobs looked amazing. I put the earrings in and started on my make up.

My hair was finally long enough to style a little bit. I put a little bit of mousse in it, spiking up the front. I put a head band in it. I went back in the bathroom to brush my teeth. I came back in and found some shoes waiting for me. I laughed to myself. I hadn't even thought about shoes. I slipped the heels on and they were a perfect fit.

"Shane" I called out.

"Yeah, Gabi?" He answered.

"I'm ready." I said stepping out into the living room.

He was standing there in a nice dress shirt and slacks. "Wow Gabi." He said, grinning. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you." I said, smiling. "We ready?"

Shane nodded, leading me out to the car. He helped me in and drove us toward the strip. We stopped at the Bellagio. "Hey, I hate paying for valet so I'm going to park around the corner. Go in and get the table for me, okay?"

"Should I wait for you?" I asked, confused.

He shook his head. "Nah, I'll meet you in a minute."

"Alright." I said, shrugging. I got out of the car and walked up to the hotel. "Thank you." I said, to the man who opened the door for me. I walked around to the restaurant. I walked up to the desk. "Reservation for Shane Johnson."

"Come with me, miss." The man said, pulling out two menus.

I followed him to the table and I sat down. He placed the menu's down and walked away. I picked up my menu and started looking through it. I looked at the drinks and saw somebody sit down. "That was quick." I said, reading the non-alcoholic beverage list.

"You know me, I'm pretty fast." My head shot up. Troy was sitting across from me in a nice tuxedo. "You look absolutely breathtaking. I'm speechless." He said, grinning at me.

A smile broke out on my face. "What are you doing here?"

"It wouldn't be prom without you baby." He picked up my hand and kissing it gently. "I personally think this is much better."

I grinned. "I completely agree." I studied him. He got another haircut. It wasn't bald like it was before, just a little buzz cut. "God, I love you."

"I love you more." He declared, picking up the menu.

"So where is Shane going?" I asked, looking at the menu.

"Back home." He laughed "He's going to drop your stuff off at the hotel. I'm flying back out with you."

I sighed. "What did I do to deserve you?" Troy shrugged and I rolled my eyes at him. The waiter came by and took our order. We played footsies under the table. We finished eating quickly and we shared a dessert. "So where are we even staying?" I asked him.

"Room 1709" He held up the key, pointing up.

"You didn't have to do all this." I said.

"Mom and Dad paid for it." He said shrugging. "They didn't want to see me moping around on prom day."

I smiled at him. "I love your parents."

We paid and he helped me up. He put his hand on my hip as we walked toward the elevator. We got in and stared at each other for a moment. "You know you never gave me a proper hello." Troy grinned widely.

I wrapped my arms around his neck. My heels made me almost the same height as him. "And what would be a proper greeting?" I asked, smirking.

"How about… a kiss?" I placed a kissed lightly on his cheek. He looked at me blankly. "On the lips."

I giggled. "You didn't specify." He rolled his eyes and I kissed his lips gently. "Do you have anything else planned?"

"You'll have to wait and see beautiful." He kissed my lips gently. "Your dress is so sexy." He mumbled against my lips.

He shifted his hips and I felt his hard on against my leg. "I gathered that." I nibbled on his earlobe. I purred against his ear. "It looks so much better off." I pulled back to see the look of desire in his eyes. I smirked at him and he kissed my lips firmly.

* * *

**Sorry so late, i had a game to coach and i thought i was going to upload this chapter before i left but i couldn't so here it is. I love you guys. i've written up to 45 chapters but i want it to be longer than that. so bare with me please. Don't forget to review.**


	33. Five

My back slammed against the wall. I felt his mouth on my neck, nibbling and suckling. My eyes were clamped shut. We barely even made it to the dark room and his hands were already pulling down my panties. They got mid thigh before he stopped, thrusting his hips against mine. His lips were bruising mine but I didn't even care. I wanted him. I needed him.

I let out a moan. "Mm, Troy. Can we… Oh.. Pause for a sec?" I asked, in between moans. I tried to push him away but my body went limp every time he licked my neck. I finally pushed him away from me. "Baby, where's the light?"

I felt the wall for the switch and Troy moved away from me to find it. The lights suddenly turned on and I blinked my eyes adjusting to the light. I pulled my panties back up. I looked down at myself my boobs were ready to pop out. I walked around the room. "What do you think?"

"It's beautiful." I said, looking around. I sat on the bed and crossed my legs. I bounced on the bed gently. "The bed seems comfortable."

I looked over to where Troy was. He was setting something up. Suddenly Mayday Parade was coming out of the small speakers he brought. He walked over to me and held out a hand. "Can I have this dance?"

His grin was just too damn cute. I put my hand in his. "I'd love to." He pulled me up and closer to him. Troy put his hands on my hips, pulling me closer to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Hey baby." He said quietly after a few moments of dancing.

"Yeah?" I asked, looking up at him.

"I love you." He kissed the top of my head. "I am so in love with you, I can't even focus sometimes because my mind wanders off to you. When I'm with you I fell like we get lost in our own little world and I'm perfectly okay with that because I'm lost with you." He leaned down and kissed the tattoo on my collar bone. "Then I see that and I don't think of it as being lost. I know next to you is right where I'm supposed to be."

I let my head rest on his shoulder. I closed my eyes as we swayed together. "I'm not scared of opening myself up anymore. There are people like you that I know are going to be around for a long time. You don't know how much you mean to me." I let my hands slide down his chest, wrapping my arms around him. "You are the only person who would do something like this for me."

Troy smiled. "I'd do anything for you, my love." He kissed my forehead. "Which reminds me…" He pulled away quickly and walked over to his bag.

"What are you doing?" I asked him.

He pulled out a camera. "You wanted pictures of your prom, you're going to get them." He pulled out a tri-pod and set it up. He placed the camera on it, directing me where to stand. He set the timer and stood next to me. "We are going to have a prom photo shoot."

He turned me around so my back was against his chest. He put his hands on my stomach and I placed my hands on top of him. We smiled as the light started blinking. "Classic prom pose." I said, giggling as I turned to face him. I placed my hand on his chest as the light blinked again.

Troy leaned down and kissed my lips slowly for the next picture. He stepped out of the picture so it was just me. He stood by my side for the picture after. Then he got a picture alone. We started doing funny pictures. We got tired of the picture taking and we put the camera away.

I looked at myself in the mirror. My lipstick was starting to smudge around my lips. I fixed it quickly. Troy picked me up and laid me down on the bed. "You look so sexy in that dress." He said, grinning against my lips.

"You told me." I said, smirking. He started kissing up my leg what was exposed by the long slit in the dress. I unhooked the top of the halter top. I wiggled out of the dress, getting up to hang it up. "I'm glad I got to wear the dress, even if it was for a couple hours."

I turned around to face him. He laying on the bed, watching me. "I'm glad you did too." I made my way over to him, jumping on the bed, straddling his waist. I started unbuttoning his shirt slowly. I placed a soft kiss on his lips. "Thank you for surprising me."

"You don't have to thank me baby." His fingers brushing my nipples slowly. His large hands cupped my breasts. I pushed his shirt off his shoulders. He sat up and I kissed his shoulder slowly. I squeezed his firm arm muscles.

"Mmm, you've been working out." I kissed down his arm slowly.

He flexed his arm muscles. "I've been doing a little workout here and there." He said, shrugging humbly.

I ran my fingertips along his arms. "Mm, it's paying off. You look so good." I ran my fingers across his head.

Troy nuzzled his face against my neck. "I gotta look good for my girl." He nibbled against my neck gently. "I missed you all week."

"I missed you too." I let out a small puff of air. He laid me on my back, hovering over me. Troy kissed my lips slowly, running my fingers up and down my thighs slowly. I unbuckled his pants, pulling them down slowly. He took a condom out of his pants and placed it next to us on the bed.

I watched him sit back up. He pulled my panties down slowly. He rubbed along my slit slowly, pushing one finger in slowly. He pulled down his boxers and rolled the condom on. Troy slid himself in easily. He leaned down, kissing my lips slowly. "So tight." He muttered underneath his breath.

I nibbled on his bottom lip as he pushed himself deeper into me. A moan bubbled up out of my throat. My fingers drifted down his back, I dug my nails into his butt when he thrust into me again. I pried my tongue in his mouth, rolling it against his as my hips buckled. He started picking up his pace, going deeper with every thrust. I moved my mouth away from his to catch my breath. I held onto his neck. His forehead rest against mine, his blue eyes staring into my brown.

I clinched my walls around him. He hissed out a breath. "Oh god, I'm…" I squeezed my eyes shut, digging my nails into his back. I squirmed under him, feeling my self tighten up under him.

Troy groaned, releasing himself into me. "Fuck baby." He laid on top of me, sucking on my neck tiredly. He rolled off me as we both got up. I stretched my body out, going to the bathroom. He threw the condom away and went in the bathroom after me. I got under the covers closing my eyes. "I'm exhausted." He said, crawling into bed with me.

"Mmm." Is all I replied. He wrapped his arms around me molding himself against my backside.

* * *

Troy and I got back to Albuquerque in the early afternoon. I drove Troy home before I went home. I walked up to my room after saying hi to Cameron and the boys. I laid on my bed, closing my eyes for a second. "Knock knock." Cameron said.

I opened my eyes. "Come in." I sat up on the bed.

"How'd your fight go?" He asked, grinning.

"It was good. I won." I said. "Troy came up."

Cameron laughed. "I know. He had to get the dress from your closet. He's a good guy."

I nodded. "He is. How are you liking the house?"

"I like it, the boys are afraid to touch anything." He shrugged his shoulders. "They'll get used to it."

"What does the ex-wife have to say about that?" I asked, raising my eyebrow.

Cameron shook his head. "Mel doesn't mind. She met your mom."

I laughed. "Really? How did that go?"

"It was awkward.. But it was fine."

"That's good. I'm glad you're here." I said, patting his leg. "When's mom getting back?" I asked.

"Tonight or tomorrow morning. She's gonna be home for a month, I think. She won't leave until after you graduate, I think." He said. "You hungry? I think were gonna have burgers for dinner."

I had an uneasy feeling in my stomach. I could feel something bad was going to happen, I just don't know yet. I shook out of the bad feeling and looked at the man next to me. "Yeah, that sounds good actually. I'm going to go see Troy's mom but I should be back for dinner."

"Alright, call me if you can't make it. I'll make enough for Troy too. I'm sure he'll come back with you." He said, smiling. He got up. "What kind of cheese?"

"Any." I said, reaching over for my phone. I watched him walk out, closing the door behind him. He was such a good guy. I'm glad my mom found him. I smiled a little bit. I texted Troy to see where he was at. He was at the hospital with his mom. I told him I was going to head over there in a little bit.

Cameron opened the door again. "I forgot to give this to you. It came after you left on Friday." He handed me an envelope.

"Thanks Cam." I said, looking at the envelope. He walked out again and I looked at the envelope closer. "Robert and Phoebe Montez." I read aloud. I snorted a little bit. I opened the envelope and pulled out the pictures. A picture of Troy and I was on top of the pile. Troy was whispering something in my ear and I had a small smile on my face. We were in our own little world as usual. I bit my lip and slid that one to the bottom of the pile. The next picture was one with Aaron on my lap.

I didn't notice this before but we had the same eyes, dad's eyes. I looked at it for a little longer before I went to the next one. It was a picture of Aaron on top of Troy when he tackled him. I giggled to myself and moved onto the next one. It was another picture of Me and Aaron, the next one was Me, Troy, and Aaron.

I stopped at the picture of me and my dad, the next one with Aaron added to it. I sighed. I had become more accepting of my father and his new family. But there would always be that feeling of betrayal, I guess. It was still sore to talk about. I licked my lips and got up. I picked up the picture book sitting on my dresser. I slid a picture of Aaron and me into the first empty slot after his birthday invitation. I was going to have to frame the rest.

I picked up the first picture on the pile which was Troy and I. I pulled a jacket on and grabbed my keys. I walked down the stairs. "Cam, I'm leaving." I called out to him.

"See you later Gab." He called back.

* * *

I hopped in the car and I drove over to the hospital. I parked my car in the parking garage. I rode the elevator down and walked across the bridge to the hospital. I got to the other side and rode the second elevator down to the floor Lucy was on. I walked up to the desk.

"Hey Gabi! How'd the fight go?" Victoria, the nurse, asked me.

"Good." I smiled. "I won. It was my last fight. I'm officially a retired boxer."

She laughed, handing me a sticker. "Well congratulations. You can go on in."

"Thank you." I gave her a smile and stuck the sticker to my chest. I made my way over to her room with my picture in hand. I stopped to tie my shoe, next to the door.

"When's Gabi coming?" I heard Jack say.

"She should be here any minute." Troy said.

"I can't believe my baby's in love." I heard Lucy said, weakly.

"Mom." Troy complained. I could just imagine the blush on his cheeks. I grinned to myself.

Lucy laughed a little bit. "I'm glad I got to live to see it. Do you think you're going to marry her?"

I stood up and stood in the door way holding the picture. Troy's back was to the door. Lucy smiled, looking up at me. She looked really drained, but a smile was nice to see on her face. Jack glanced at me and I smirked, waiting for Troy to answer. "Yeah. I'm going to marry her." Troy said confidently.

Lucy grinned widely. "I'd have to say yes first." I said. Troy whipped his head over to me. He narrowed his eyes at me. I laughed quietly walking over to them. "Hey mama and papa Bolton." I gave them each a hug. "Look at this." I handed Lucy the picture of Troy and I.

"What's that?" Troy asked, pulling me onto his lap.

"I got pictures from Aaron's birthday today." I explained, wrapping my arms around him. "They're really good."

He kissed my cheek. "You should have brought them all."

"I'll bring them all tomorrow." I said. "You can keep that one here Lu."

She smiled at me then at the picture. "Thank you Gab. It's lovely. Here Jack, take a look." She handed the picture over to him. "How was your little prom?"

I smiled widely. "It was perfect. You raised a perfect gentleman." I kissed the top of his head.

"He's pretty great." She said, her eyes closing. "Sometimes."

I laughed quietly from next to him. "I am great all the time. Thanks mom." He said sarcastically, pinching my leg gently. I pinched him back before giving him a kiss.

"Cam's making burgers tonight, if you want one." I said, looking at Troy.

"I want one." Jack said, looking over at us.

I smiled. "You're welcome to come. I'm sure there'll be more than enough."

"Go get a cheeseburger." Lucy mumbled tiredly.

"They're not going to be done for a while." I rubbed the back of Troy's neck. I kissed Troy's ear gently. "How is she doing?" I asked him quietly.

Troy frowned a little bit and shook his head. "Not good." He said quietly, dropping his head.

I ran my fingers through his hair slowly. "I'm sorry baby." I leaned my head against his shoulder. He held up his hand. "Five? Days?" I asked, looking at him. His eyes watered up and he nodded. I bit my quivering lip, putting my face into his neck. "I'm so sorry." I said quietly.

"Will you stop? I'm right here." Lucy said, opening her eyes to look at us. I gave her a small smile before I wiped Troy's eyes gently. "I'm sick of you all walking on eggshells around me. I know I'm sick but I'm still alive, aren't I?"

"Sorry Lu." I said, reaching over to rub her hand. "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit, but my morphine is scheduled to come in about five minutes so I'll feel better then." She said.

Jack chuckled. "You don't need any morphine."

"Honey, that would be like me kicking you in the balls and not giving you any ice." She said.

Troy and Jack both made faces. "You wouldn't do that to me, baby." Jack said, dropping a kiss on her lips.

"Gross." Troy said, making a face.

I smacked him. "Shut up Troy. It's cute."

"Yeah, shut up Troy." Lucy added.

We all laughed quietly. Troy hugging my waist. It was nice to have good moments like this when she was in so much pain. She was stronger that I could ever be. Lucille Bolton was an amazing woman. She didn't deserve to have this happening to her. No one does. My phone vibrated in my pocket. "It's my mom, I'll be right back." I said, getting up.

"Tell her I said hi." Lucy called as I walked out of the room.

"Hey mama." I answered the phone.

"Hey Babe, just got home. Cam's almost done with dinner." She said, sighing. I heard the squeak of her bed in the background.

"Alright. I think Jack and Troy are going to come over if that's okay."

"That's fine, he made way too many anyway." Mom said laughing. "How's Luce?"

"Not good mom." I said quietly. "I'll tell you when I get back home. She wanted me to tell you she said hi."

"Oh, tell her I said hello and I'll be there the first thing tomorrow." Mom said. "I'll see you soon."

"Alright, bye mama." I hung up the phone and walked back into the room. "Mom said hi. She just got home." I took back my seat on Troy's lap. "She's gonna come and see you tomorrow morning, Lu."

"Oh, I can't wait." Lucy said excitedly. The bed was in a more upright position. "We're going to plan your wedding."

I looked at Troy, nervously and he just chuckled. "What's that face for? You don't want to marry me?" Troy joked.

"Not right now." I said, looking back to Lucy.

Troy rolled his eyes. "Well duh, not right now. In like two years."

"Two?" My head flew back over to him. "You mean at least five. I want to get my bachelors done first. It's going to take me at least 10 years to become a doctor."

Lucy smiled. "You want to be a doctor?"

I shrugged. "That or maybe a physical therapist. Study sports medicine."

"Smart girl." Jack said winking. "Become a doctor. Hopefully you won't have to support Troy."

I snorted, laughing. "I'll be your sugar mama." I winked at Troy. He made a face at me. "What?" I said smirking.

"Nothing." He said, grinning.

"You're weird." I said. "Anyway. Dinner is gonna be ready soon. You guys are welcome to come. I have a cheeseburger calling my name." I kissed Troy's lips. "I love you." I hugged Jack before I hugged Lucille. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Alright, have a nice night." Lucy said, waving to me.

I waved to them and walked out of the room. I waved to Victoria as I walked out. I hopped in my car and drove home. I parked in the drive way and walked through the door. "Ahh Gabi! Protect me!" CJ ran and his behind me.

"I'm going to kick you in the balls CJ!" Chris yelled running in the living room.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What happened?" I asked Christopher and stood in between the two boys.

Chris blushed. "CJ is just rude."

"He's mad because I interrupted his phone conversation with his girllfriennddd." CJ teased.

"Come on CJ. Leave him alone. Watch till you bring a girl over here. I'll embarrass the shit out of you." I tugged his baseball cap off and hit him with it. I put it back on his head and gave him a hug. "I'd be a great big sister huh?"

CJ laughed and pushed me away. "Yeah, you're annoying already." He ran into the kitchen.

"Good!" I called after him. "You alright Chris?" I asked him.

He nodded. "Yeah. Just embarrassed."

"Don't worry buddy. It only gets worse." I walked with him into the kitchen. "Hey mama." I gave her a kiss on the cheek. "How was your trip?"

"Good, long, boring… the usual." She sighed, turning to hug me. "How was the fight and prom?" She smiled knowingly.

"The fight was good. It was fun. We stayed at the Bellagio. It was so pretty." I pulled away from her when my phone buzzed. I looked at it. "Troy and Jack are on their way over." I said, licking my lips.

"Alright." Mom said, distractedly. Cameron walked into the room, winking at my mom as he passed by.

I smirked. "I'm going upstairs."

"Kay." Mom said, still distracted. Cam walked over and wrapped his arms around her.

I laughed to myself and walked up the stairs. I went through my dirty clothes, separating them into piles. I had to do laundry soon. I carried my basket down the stairs and put my stuff in the washer. I headed halfway up stairs when the doorbell rang. I continued up to my room and made my bed. My room was unusually messy.

I felt myself being lifted up and dropped onto the bed. "Longtime no see." Troy said as he leaned down to kiss me.

"Hey." I smiled against his lips. I pulled him closer, deepening the kiss.

"Kids! Dinner's ready!" Cameron bellowed throughout the house.

I laughed quietly as Troy pulled away. He pulled away and helped me up. "I'm starving."

"Me too." I massaged his shoulders as we headed down the stairs.

* * *

**Interview went well if any of y'all were wondering. Two more chapters comming up tomorrow and the last two chapters of Fame and Love will be up on Friday. Happy hump day! Love you guys. Don't forget to review.**


	34. Wednesday

It happened on Wednesday. The skies were grey, the clouds were dark waiting to release the awaiting liquids. The morning was nothing different from it's typical self. I'd meet Troy at school, we'd go to homeroom, we spent our free time talking to Sharpay, Chad, and Taylor. We formed a strong, close knit group of friends. Taylor and Chad were still buzzing, they were still in the honeymoon stage of their new two week relationship. We were all happy for them.

We only had a few weeks until graduation. The freshman were glad they weren't going to be freshman anymore. The sophomores were ready to be upperclassmen as the Juniors were ready to become seniors and us seniors couldn't wait to get to college. But deep down we all knew we'd miss high school when we would leave it.

When things change there is an awkward period where you aren't sure if you like the change or not. Sometimes you don't have that option of liking what happens to you. You just have to live with it. You have to suck it up and it's hard as hell sometimes but life goes on. For some people.

"Hello?" Troy answered his phone as we made our way towards the rooftop. He stopped in his tracks, his grip on my hand got tighter, his face paled. "What do you mean she-" Somebody cut him off on the other line. "But they said she-" I could see the tears piling up in his eyelids.

I knew what happened. He didn't have to say it, I knew. "Troy." I said softly.

"I'm leaving now." Troy said firmly. "No Dad, fuck the office. I'm leaving now." He said with a swift click of the 'end' button. He swallowed before he turned to me. "I have to go."

"Troy-"

"Stay here. I'll call you when I get home." He said firmly, his eyes were dark.

"But Tr-"

His eyes shut. "Gabi, please, just…" He trailed off.

I wrapped my arms around him. "I'll tell the office." I said quietly.

"Thank you." His voice was muffled into my shirt. He gave me fast kiss and avoided my eyes. "I love you. I'll call you later."

"I love you too." I said quietly. He didn't hear me. He was halfway down the hall. I watched him push through the doors. I watched him until I couldn't see him anymore. I ran up the stairs to our spot on the roof. I dropped my bag, taking a seat on the bench and started bawling.

It wasn't your typical crying. It was pain-in-your-chest-throat-on-fire-head-exploding-b ody-shaking-uncontrollable-bawling. It hurt and it hurt every part of your body. It hurt worse knowing there was nothing you could truly do about it. It happens to everybody. One day it was going to happen to me. My family was going to hurt like this one way. And that just hurt even more.

We all knew it was coming and that didn't make it any easier. She was still a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend. I squeezed my eyes shut and I still see her the first day I met her. Her luscious auburn hair was healthy and straight. Her eyes were a bright green with sparkle placed there by her boys she loved more than anything. She was beautiful and kind. Everything I want to be one day. Her picture fades into one of her yesterday. The blue scarf I bought her wrapped around her bald head. Her eyes a duller green. Her smile was genuine even though the pain behind it was insufferable.

The pain was gone now. Sort of transferred to us, her loved ones who would have to go on without her. I would gladly take her pain. Nobody deserves to go though something like that. A little misshapen, contagious cell that spreads its unhappiness to the point of therapy that just kills everything in it's path. It was so morbid, just the thought of it. She had the lump removed a couple months ago. We found out it spread after her first collapse. The tiny killer, taking another life.

I did as I was told. I told the office after I calmed down on the roof. I tried to hide the puffiness around my eyes with makeup. It didn't really make a difference. Mr. Matsui was heartbroken. "Everybody loves the Bolton family. Everybody will be devastated at the loss." He told me as if I didn't already know that.

* * *

I finished my day and headed home. Troy needed some space, he needed to say goodbye and I was going to respect that. I sat in my car for a few minutes. I wondered if my mom already heard the news or if I had to break it to her. I let out a sigh and shut the door after I grabbed my things. I made my way to the front door, opening and closing it quietly.

"Mom, I'm home." I called out before heading towards the stairs. I ran up the stairs and my mom came out of her room. "Hey."

"Hey Gab, how was school?" She asked, walking with me to my room.

I set my things down. "Not good." I said quietly.

"How come?" She asked, standing in the doorway. I let out a shaky breath. I looked at her, long and hard. I didn't want to say it. I didn't want those words to come out of my mouth. "Oh my god." She said, her hands flying up to her mouth. She finally realized what happened.

"Troy got the call at lunch." I said quietly, biting my bottom lip.

"I'm so sorry baby." She threw her arms around me. That is all we could say, I could imagine that's all anyone could say. I heard her sniffle before she pulled away and wiped her face. I couldn't look at her I just would start crying again. "How's Troy taking it?"

"He left at lunch." I sat on my bed, crossing my legs under me. "I hadn't heard from him since. He said he'd call me later though."

"Poor guy." She said, sighing.

"Well, I'm going to do my homework." I said, getting back up to grab my backpack. I set it on my desk, sitting down.

"Alright." She said quietly. She lingered in my room for a moment before she walked out, closing the door behind her.

I picked up my math book. I opened it. I finished all my homework already. I didn't feel like talking to her about what happened. I was dying to know if Troy was okay. I just wanted him to call me but in the back of my mind I knew he wouldn't. Not today at least. He had a lot of shit to deal with and I know he needed time, like I said before. I closed my math book and crawled into bed. I just didn't feel like doing anything. Nothing. At all.

I never had someone close to me die. My dad left but that was different. He was gone but I know he wasn't gone forever. He was in Phoenix, alive and well. He wasn't there but that was because I didn't want him to be in my life. I was mad and I was hurt. But I would have cared if he died. I didn't realize that until just recently. Aaron's birthday. He was still my dad, even though he left and even though he hurt me and my mom, I will always love him. Just like I would always love Lucy.

I wish this hadn't happened to her. I wish she would have got to go backpacking through Europe. I wish she had traveled the world. I wish she had done everything she wanted to do. I wish she could live to see Troy graduate, graduate college, play college Basketball, travel the world, get married. I wish most of all that she would have become Gigi, like she wanted. She would have been the best grandmother in the world. I knew any kids Troy had, they would be beautiful and Lucy would have loved them.

* * *

Before I knew it I felt myself falling asleep. I usually didn't take naps unless I really needed them. I guess it was inevitable today. When I wake up, I never remember my dreams. The last dream I remembered was when I was about five or six and I was at my dads house. I had a dream that my mom left me at my dads house and never came back. I really didn't mind my dad when I was that young. He always won me over with ice cream and trips to the park. But I remember waking up and I was freaked out, like devastated. He didn't come and see what was wrong. He slept through it and it took me a good two hours to self-soothe and go back to sleep.

"Gabi, dinner's ready." Mom said softly.

I felt her weight on the side of the bed. She was softly stroking my hair. I opened my eyes to look at her. Her eyes were a little puffy but I'm sure they were nothing compared to mine. "What are we having?"

"Pasta." She said quietly. "Do you want to come eat?"

I licked my dry lips. "Yeah, I'll be down in a minute."

"Alright." She kissed the side of my head before walking out the room.

I stretched and got up. I walked down stairs slowly, my head adjusting to being vertical. I rubbed my forehead and sat at the table. I realized I was starving. I skipped lunch and my usual after school snack. I took a seat at the table across from Cameron and my mom. I put a scoop of pasta in the bowl in front of me.

"Hey Gabi, how was school?" Cam asked me.

"Long." I said sighing. "How was school for you?"

"Long." He said, smiling. "I got a stack of Essays to grade."

"Rough drafts?" I asked, taking a bite.

"Mhm." He hummed nodding. "Research papers."

I winced. "Not my favorite type of Essay."

"Mine either. Do you want to help me?" He asked, smirking. "I have 154 of them to grade."

"Okay." I said. "Only if you look at my final paper."

"Deal." He said, eating his pasta.

The rest of the dinner was uneventful. I printed out a copy of my final paper for him to mark up while I started on his kids papers. I sat on the floor reading through them. I marked the grammatical errors in red pen and I gave them suggestions in blue. I wrote positive feedback in black on the back of the paper. I got through about one class of them when Cameron was done with mine. It was an eight page paper and he went through it pretty thoroughly.

"Damn, done with one class already?" He asked, sitting next to me.

"Yep. What is this? First period? They're all pretty good. You must be a good teacher." I said, handing them the stack. I started on the next class. It took me a good hour and a half to finish all of the papers. I sighed and handed him the last pile.

"Shit Gabi." He said sighing. "I just need to give them a number, I don't even need to add anything else."

I laughed. "Peer editing will do wonders."

"Thank you Gabi." He said, looking up from his papers.

"No problem." I gave him a small smile. I looked at the time. "I'm going to head up to bed. Thank you for this." I said, holding up my paper. "I'll look through it tomorrow."

"You're welcome." He said with a small grin.

I headed up toward my room. God it's been a long day and I took a nap. I covered my mouth, yawning. I turned on my light and set my paper on my desk. I looked at my phone that was setting on my bed. I just had a text from Sharpay, that was about it. I replied to her and plugged it in. I went into the bathroom to wash my face. I brushed my hair and my teeth and I sighed.

I walked back in my room and saw Troy leaning against my balcony doors. I jumped, squeaking a little bit. I held my hand over my heart to steady my heart beat. "Troy." I said quietly. "Hey."

"Sorry." He said, monotone.

"It's alright." I said quietly. "Do you want to take a shower, or lay down?" I offered, still standing in front of the door to my bathroom.

He cleared his throat. "I think I'm going to shower." He said, avoiding my eyes.

"I'll get you a towel." I said, walking out of the room. I grabbed a clean towel from the hall closet. I went back into my room and closed the door behind me. Troy had gone into the bathroom and the shower turned on. I opened the door and put the towel on the rack. I watched him look at himself in the mirror.

His eyes were dull. He looked like he hadn't slept in days, puffy from crying. His palms were pressed against the counter. He dropped his head, relaxing his neck. I rubbed his back slowly, pressing my lips to his back gently. He tensed up a bit but relaxed. I laid my head against his side. I loved him so much and it hurt so much to see him like this. I wish I could tell him how much I loved him and that would make it all better because it won't.

"I'm going to get in the shower." He said, quietly.

"Okay." I gave him another kiss on his back and walked out of the room, closing the door behind me.

I slid in bed, covering myself with the blankets. I watched the door for him to come out. I heard the shower turn off. He walked out of the room in a towel. I watched him walk across the room. He pulled out a pair of boxers. I watched him dry himself off and pull his boxers. He rubbed the towel on his head before putting it in the hamper. He made eye contact with me, crawling in the bed with me.

Troy laid with his back to me. He let out a deep breath. I wrapped my arms around him from behind, squeezing him as tight as I could. His skin was still warm from the shower. He was a little red so I only imagined how hot the shower was. I laid my head against his back. "I love you." I said quietly, rubbing his abs slowly.

"I love you too." He said quietly. He rolled over to face me.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

He took a deep breath. "They said she passed at 11:26 in the afternoon. Dad was at the hospital but he stepped out of the room to call work because she was sleeping. When he came back she was…" He trailed off. "They tried to get her to come back for a half hour. That's when dad called me. I went to the hospital and I saw her." His eyes started watering up again. "She was so… cold. And god." He looked away, wiping his eyes.

"Troy." I said softly, running my fingers along his hair slowly. "It's okay to let it out."

He looked at me and his lip quivered. He laid his face in the pillow. I could hear him sobbing. I lifted his head up, pulling him closer to me. He buried his face in my neck. I rubbed his back slowly, tearing up myself. "I just…." He sobbed again. The tears trickled down my cheeks. "Can't believe she's… gone."

I laid my head on his shoulder, hugging him tighter. His tears soaked through my shirt. We laid there awake, sticky from the tears for what seemed like hours. Neither of us were sleeping. We were just wrapped up in each other, not talking. He started stroking the small of my back, sending shivers up my spine. He hugged me closer, sighing against my neck.

"I'm sorry baby." I finally croaked out. "I'm so sorry."

"Me too." He whispered.

Troy was gone when I woke up. His previous clothes were in my hamper. I turned off my alarm clock. My head was pounding from the crying and the lack of sleep. All I wanted to do was roll over and go back to bed but I couldn't. I got up and got dressed. I was glad my hair wasn't long, it would have been a mess. I grabbed my backpack and my paper and I walked down stairs.

"Troy left a little while ago." Mom said.

I nodded my head. "He had a rough night, I don't think he slept at all."

"Probably not." She said, sliding a plate in front of me. "How are you?"

"Tired." I said quietly, starting to eat.

"You don't have to go." She said, watching me.

"I have to, I don't necessarily want to." I said, picking up my fork. "I think I'm going to leave early though."

She nodded. "Okay. Finish your breakfast and go to school."

"What are you going to do?" I asked her.

"I'm going to help out, anyway that I can."

"That's nice of you, make them cookies. They like our cookies." I said. I finished my breakfast. "I'll see you after school."

"Bye baby."

"Bye ma." I said, picking up my stuff, taking it to my car.

I looked at my phone. "You going to school?" Troy texted me.

"Yeah, I have a test but I'm leaving at lunch" I replied to him.

"Text me when you leave." He replied back.

I sent him a sort reply confirming it. I drove to school and parked in my spot. I walked to my locker and took out all my homework and turned it in to my teachers. I walked to homeroom and sat in my seat. The seat behind me was empty. I knew this day was going by slowly. I barely paid attention as Ms. Darbus spoke. Normally she would be super strict but since it was the end of the year she was loosening up. She knew about Troy too. I didn't even know she gave us free time until Sharpay called my name. She waved me over.

I got up, gathering my stuff and walking over to them. "Hey girl. Where's Troy?" She asked.

Chad looked solemn as well. Taylor looked interested to know what happened as well. Chad and I exchanged a look. "His mom passed away yesterday." Chad said quietly, his eyes diverting to the ground.

Sharpay gasped quietly. Taylor frowned. "He's taking it hard." I added.

"Poor Troy!" Sharpay said, frowning.

"Is there anything we can do?" Taylor asked.

I licked my lips. "All you can do is be patient with him. He's never going to be the same Troy he was." I said quietly. "Show him some love."

"Of course." Taylor said, nodding. "I can get the PTA to do something for her."

"You'll probably have to talk to Mr. Bolton for that." I said, looking down at my fingers. "I know Troy doesn't want all this attention on him."

"Yeah, Troy wouldn't like to be put on the spot with 'I'm sorry' and those looks." Chad said, looking up at us.

"What looks?" Sharpay asked.

"That look." He said, pointing to her face.

She was frowning her brow wrinkling slightly. She realized her face and relaxed her face. "Oh." She sighed. "Shut up."

I smiled a little bit. Her bantering always made me feel a little better. Class was over and I went to my next class. As expected the day went by slowly. I left at lunch and texted Troy like he asked. He asked me to come over to his house. I parked my car, said hi to mom and headed over to Troy's. I walked in his house and smelled food. I walked into the kitchen and Jack was talking to a woman.

"Hey Jack." I said.

"Hey Gabi." He said. "Troy's upstairs."

I nodded and headed up the stairs. I got a peak of the paper the woman was working on. Funeral arrangements. I went into Troy's room and he was laying on his bed throwing his basketball in the air. "Hey." I said, closing the door behind me.

"Hey Gab." He said, catching the basketball and sitting up. "Apparently the neighbors think it's thanksgiving. They roasted a whole turkey for us. Your mom brought over cookies but we ate those already." I smiled a little bit. "She'll have to make more."

I sat next to him on the bed and he rested against me. I kissed his forehead. "I'll make some more." I said. "Who was that lady?"

"Funeral director. They're picking out her headstone, what it's gonna say, her plot… etcetera." He said, looking up at me. "I helped a little bit but I don't want to anymore."

"That's understandable." I said, looking at him. "Tay wants to do a PTA thing for her. I told her she'd have to ask Jack."

"What would she do? Dedicate a bench?" He asked, sarcastically.

"Yeah, probably." I said, lacing my fingers in between his.

"Dear god, let her. I don't care." He said, closing his eyes.

I leaned down and kissed his lips gently. "You do, and that's okay." I said softly. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do." He just nodded his head, with his eyes closed.

* * *

**I know, very solemn. I'm sorry. It was comming. This his been one of my more philosphical chapters. Let me know what you think. The lack of reviews is a little dissapointing because I worked so hard on this story. But i know the regular readers appreciate it and the new ones. Thank you guys. Another chapter is comming up later. Don't forget to review.**


	35. Expectations

Everyday felt like it was in slow motion after Lucille died. Troy hadn't been to school for the rest of the week. His mom brother, his aunt and his cousin Eddie were in town. He was trying to avoid and accommodate them at the same time. He didn't talk much these days. We'd hang out at night sometimes, just laying in my bed. He stayed with me until I fell asleep and he'd be gone in the morning. I don't blame him. I wouldn't want to talk either, but I missed him.

Lucy's service was on Sunday. It was going to be small, just family mainly. Jack invited mom and I because he thought we were practically family. I put on a black dress with lace sleeves. I put a black bow in my hair. It was about two inches long. It started to flop over. I slipped on some heels and walked down stairs. My mom was putting on some pearl earrings, looking at me.

"Ready?" She asked. I just nodded my head. "Cameron." She called out.

Chris, CJ, and Cameron all ran over. My mom smiled lightly. "Yeah, baby?" Big Cameron asked.

"We're going to leave, can you go to the store for me?" She asked, looking at him.

"Sure. The list on the fridge?" He asked, looking toward the kitchen.

"Yeah." She gave him a quick kiss. "See you later." She gave Chris and CJ both a kiss on the forehead. "Love you guys, see you later."

"Bye." I said, before heading out the door. We got into moms car and I looked out the window.

"You alright baby?" She asked me.

"Yeah." I said, distractedly.

I don't know what today was going to be like. I wanted everything to run smoothly. I knew either Troy was going to be a wreak or show no emotion at all. I licked my lips as we pulled up to the cemetery. There was a small group of about twenty or so people, standing around. We parked and I got out of the car, waiting for mom.

I linked my arm with hers and we walked over to the crowd. I spotted Jack first, he was talking to an older couple. I saw Troy's aunt Kat, standing with a guy about my age I assumed was Eddie. My eyes found Troy, he was standing next to his uncle, his moms brother. He was looking at the ground, kicking the rocks on that were stray on the asphalt. His uncle, Lenny was his name, was talking to him. Troy nodded his head and whatever he was saying.

Troy suddenly looked up and his eyes met mine. He nodded again at his uncle and made his way over to me. I realized that my mom had already walked away, mingling in the group. He stood in front of me. "Hey." I said quietly.

He gave me a small smile and kissed my forehead. He wrapped his arms around me, I let out a breath and rest my head against his chest. "Hey." He finally said. He kissed the top of my head. "You look pretty."

"Thanks babe." I said, looking up at him. He kissed my lips gently.

"Troy!" Somebody called. We pulled away to see the older lady Jack was talking to walking over to us. "Introduce your Nana to this beautiful girl you're holding."

Troy smiled at the woman. "Of course. Nana, this is my girlfriend Gabriella. Gabi, this is my Nana Shelley."

His Nana grinned widely. "This is the famous Gabriella my grandson and son in law always talk about."

I smiled at her. "Nice to meet you Nana."

Nana smiled even brighter. "I didn't even have to force her to call me that. She's a keeper Troy-boy." She winked at him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I have to find your pop-pop now. He's probably trying to find a vending machine or something. That man is always hungry."

Troy let out a slight chuckle. "Alright Nana, go find him." He rubbed her back before she walked away. "That's nana."

I smiled. "She's awesome."

Troy nodded. "She's amazing." He said, wrapping his arms around me. He sighed. "Are you ready to meet the rest of the family?"

"Not really." I said, looking at him nervously.

"Why?" He asked, rubbing my back slowly.

"They won't like me."

"Nonsense." He kissed my forehead. "If I love you, they'll love you."

I licked my lips. "I'm sure I'm not the perfect Barbie type they expect you to be with."

He dropped his hand from my waist. He took my hand, squeezing it. "That's the thing about expectations most of the time they don't happen the way you played out in your head." He started dragging me along, meeting family member after family member. I could barely remember any of their names.

* * *

Today was going by so much quicker than the last couple of days. My head was literally spinning. Troy left my side when we went inside. I found my mom and took a seat next to her. I crossed my legs and fiddled with my fingers in my lap. They carried the casket in the room and everybody was silent. They set her down at the front of the room. They pulled down a screen and the pastor came up in front of the microphone.

_"Welcome all to the celebration of Lucille Grace Harrison-Bolton's life. Her parents Ronald and Shelley Harrison met in Oklahoma in 1965. Ron worked at a gas station and Shelley was a waitress. They shared a love of the Beatles and Soda pop. They got married a year later. Their first son Lennon Ronald Harrison was born in late January. They moved out west with their infant son making it to Texas when they found out they were expecting again another boy Jude Johnathan Harrison. In 1969, a mere 9 months after Jude, Lucille Grace Harrison was born. She was an active baby, always playing with her brothers. She was the instigator, causing trouble. Her fiery personality matched her auburn hair."_ The pastor cleared his throat. _"When she was six, Her brother and best friend Jude had his life taken from Leukemia. A misunderstood diagnosis that would hurt the heart forever. Lucy dedicated her childhood to living for her brother who couldn't. When she hit adolescence, Her family had moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico. She spent her last years of high school participating in athletic programs. She met the love of her life in the wings of East High school. Two years after graduation Lucy and Jack Bolton got married in a small church just outside of town. At the crisp age of twenty-two she gave birth to her first and only son, Troy Bolton. A couple years later she was diagnosed with Cervical cancer. She had a hysterectomy and her cancer seemed to be in remission. She enjoyed watching her son grow and play basketball. She was a part of PTA fundraisers and was adored by all her fellow PTA Parents. She started becoming ill again in November of last year. It didn't seem serious at the time she went to the doctor. They found a small lump in her breast which they removed three months later. She was on chemo and radiation therapy but the cancer had already spread. She spent the last days with her husband and her son by her side, passing peacefully in her sleep."_

There was a couple of sobs starting up in the crowd. I looked above people, trying to see Troy. He was in a couple pews ahead of us. "Lucille's sister in law Katerina Harrison would like to say a few words first." The pastor acknowledged.

Troy's Aunt Kat came up to the podium. She was one of the sobbing one. She took a moment to calm herself down. "I'm not going to say much, except that Lucy was the best sister in law a girl could have. Nana and pop-pop Harrison, Len, Jack, Troy and I made this to show you all a bit of the Lucy that will live within all of us." She walked off the stage.

Lucy's name appeared on the screen. It faded out and pictures popped up slowly. There were mostly when she was a girl. _'Lucy in the sky with diamonds'_ played in the background as we watched the pictures change. They documented her life as she got older. Her retro outfits and a picture of Jack and Lucille at Prom put a smile on my face. I watched as pictures of pregnant Lucy and her and baby Troy flashed through the slide show. He was such an adorable baby.

The song changed into a slow country song I didn't recognize. That was when everybody started crying again. I took a deep breath. The slide show was coming to an end because Troy was getting older. The last picture was the one of her, Troy and I. We were smiling widely, our bald heads were white and shiny. I smiled at the picture. I found Troy with my eyes and he was looking at me. I gave him a soft smile. I could see he was tearing up.

Jack went up to the podium. The picture of the three of us stayed on the screen behind him. "I want to thank you all for coming and supporting our family though this hard time in our lives. Nobody expect to lose their wife, mother, daughter or friend so early in their life. It going to be a long hard road to feeling okay again. We don't know if we ever will be okay again. Lucy was the love of my life. When I first saw her, I knew she was the reason that I was on this earth. She blessed me with the most amazing son I could ever ask for and she stood by my side even when she knew I was wrong or crazy. I'll always remember the impact she made on me and my family. I thank God everyday that He put her in my life, even if he did cut it short." He nodded his head and walked back to his seat. We all clapped for him.

Len stood up. "Lucy was my baby sister. Even though Jude and her were only nine months apart we always played the protective big brother role. Lulu took it hardest when Jude got sick, she didn't quite understand what was going on but she knew it was something bad. I remember her coming into my room a couple of days after he passed. She told me that she was glad that Juju, that was her nickname for him, was with God. Even though we were only kids we knew he was in a better place. I know Lulu and JuJu are sitting up there watching over us." We clapped for Len and Troy stood up.

I sucked in a breath and he stood at the podium. He searched around the room until his eyes found mine. It looked like he let out his breath the same time I did. I nodded my head. He took another deep breath. "My mom was a million different things. She was smart, beautiful, kind, funny, feisty, embarrassing, nosy… the list goes on. She never gave up on me, even though I was spoiled with all of her attention being the only child. I don't know what it'd be like to have brothers and sisters. I always wished I had them though because she wanted them. I remember each hospital visit with the first tumor she had. I hated seeing her in pain but I wanted to be there for her just like she was for me every time I scraped my knee and fell out of my tree house." He bit him bottom lip and his eyes found mine. "I don't really know how God works or anything but I know that he and Uncle Jude concocted a plan, not to necessarily take her away from me. But to give me somebody that will care for me. Nobody can ever take the place of my mom but she left me in the capable hands of my dad, my family, and my best friend. It's not everyday you find someone who will shave their head for your mom after knowing them for a month."

I laughed a little bit along with the rest of the room, wiping my eyes. I smiled up at him. 'love you' I mouthed to him.

"Thank you to you all for supporting us, like dad said. Thank you God, Uncle Jude, Mom, and whoever else is up there." He peeled his eyes away from me, walking back to his seat. People started lining up to say their goodbyes.

I took a deep breath and looked over at my mom. She was getting up. "You going to get in line?" I asked her.

"Yeah. Are you coming?"

"I'll be there in a minute." I said, lifting up my legs so she could pass me. I hugged my knees as people started to move forward. I saw Troy looking at me. He waved me over but I shook my head. He was doing his family thing and I wasn't a part of that. I waited for a couple of minutes until the line started dying down and people were clearing out. I got up and stood at the back of the line. I played with the lace sleeves.

"That's amazing, what you did." Somebody behind me said. I turned around. "I'm Brit, Troy's second cousin, or something. I don't know how all that works."

"I'm Gabi." I said, giving her a soft smile. She had Auburn hair, like Lucy's but her eyes were blue.

"Troy's girlfriend. I know. You're like the talk of the family." I winced. She smiled. "Don't worry it's all been good."

I let out a breath. "Good, I'm glad."

"How long have you and Troy been together?" She asked me.

"Almost four and a half months." I said, rubbing my hands together.

She grinned. "How'd you guys meet?"

"We literally ran into each other. I pushed him out of the way. Chad and I were assigned to share a locker and I yelled at him. Troy tried to mediate the situation, I just yelled at him more. It definitely wasn't love at first sight. I was kind of hard to get along with." I said, laughing nervously.

"Troy's usually smooth with the ladies." She said laughing.

I shrugged. "I didn't want any part of it but he got me." I said rolling my eyes. We laughed quietly and I turned around. It was my turn. "It was nice to meet you Brit."

"You too Gabi." She said with a smile.

I let out a breath and walked up to the casket. I looked at her face, her eyes were closed. I kissed my hand and placed it on her forehead. "Thank you Lucy for your wonderful boy. I hope I don't let him down." I whispered to her. "I love you." I took one last look at her and walked over towards Jack and Troy.

Jack wrapped me up tightly. "Thank you for coming Gabi and for the cookies."

I smiled. "No problem. I'll make some more soon."

"You better." He gave me a soft smile and released me.

I scooted over to Troy and he wrapped his arms around me tightly. I laid my head against his chest. "How'd I do?" He asked, kissing my forehead.

I pulled back from him to look at his face. "You made everybody cry so pretty good." I rubbed his arms.

He gave me a half grin. "I'm glad I don't have to make any more speeches." He hugged me close to him. "Hey Brit."

"Sorry for hogging him." I kissed his lips quickly. "I'll see find you later."

"Oh no! it's-" Brit said.

I gave her a soft smile, pulling away from Troy. "It's fine." I waved to them and walked out.

"Gabi!" I heard my name being called as I walked by a group of people. I saw Nana Shelley wave me over. I made my way over there. "Honey, this was Troy's girlfriend I was telling you about. Gabi this is Ron, or Pop-pop."

"Hi Pop-Pop. Great to meet you." I said, giving him a hug.

"I like you." He said, lifting his glasses up. "I like her Hon."

"Me too." She smiled at me. "I want to know. What was your favorite memory of out Lucy?"

I thought for a moment. "Well the day Troy and I got together, I was having some family issues. I came home from Vegas early and I was waiting for Troy to come. Lucy wasn't feeling well so I went over to keep her company as well as wait. I made us cookies and tea and we talked about things. It wasn't really anything special but it meant a lot to me." I nodded my head.

She smiled. "That's great dear. What are you going to do after Graduation?"

"I got accepted into Stanford so I'm moving to California. I'll probably go pre-med." I explained to them.

"Beautiful and smart. Look at that Hon. Troy-boy got himself a keeper." Pop-pop said, smiling crookedly, it reminded me of Troy's.

"That's what I said." She put her arm around her husband. "You and Troy-boy have to come visit us sometimes."

I nodded. "Of course we will." I smiled at them. I felt two arms wrapped around me.

"Hey Nana, pop-pop" Troy said, resting his chin against my shoulder.

"Hey Troy-Boy." I said, grinning at him.

"Oh no, you've been hanging around with Nana too long." Troy said, making a face.

Nana rolled her eyes. "Hush Troy-Boy. You can never spend too much time with Nana, huh Gabi?"

"Right." I agreed, smiling.

"I just came by to say your mom was looking for you." He said, kissing the side of my head.

"Alright. It was so nice to meet you Nana and Pop-Pop." I gave them each a hug. "I'll definitely stop by with Troy."

"Bye Gabi" They called as Troy and I walked away.

We walked over to his truck. "I thought we were going to see my mom?" I asked confused.

Troy put the tailgate down and he lifted me up to put me on it. "I lied." He said, leaning against my legs. "I just wanted to get away from everybody for a minute." He said sighing.

"How are you doing?" I asked, running my fingers through his hair.

"I'm really tired." He said, resting his head against my forehead. "I'm exhausted actually." He rubbed my knees gently.

"If you slept at night you wouldn't be tired." I said, lacing my fingers in between his.

He sighed. "I know. I will tonight, I promise."

"Troy." I said, kissing his lips gently.

"Yeah?" He asked, pulling away from me.

"Thank you."

"For what?" He asked, looking down at me.

"For what you said about me. It really meant a lot to me. I love you so much." I squeezed his hand gently.

He kissed my forehead then my lips. "I love you so much more baby."

"Troy!" Somebody called.

I gave him a small smile. "Duty calls." I gave him another kiss before I pushed him away. "I'm going to find my mom."

"Are you going to stay for the lowering?" He asked, helping me off the truck.

"If you want me to."

"Of course I do." He closed the tail gate. "I'll find you later." I nodded, watching him walk away.

* * *

He did indeed find me. Most of the group went over to the burial. Some people had to leave but that was understandable. I made conversation with some of Troy's family, telling the same stories of how we met, what I thought of Lucy, plans for college. The usual. People were all huddled around the plot, holding roses of different colors. Troy was handing them out. He gave me a bright red rose to bury with her.

"Thank you." I said, holding the delicate flower. "These roses are gorgeous."

"They were donated by Mr. and Mrs. Evans when they heard about mom. Mrs. Evans called them wish roses. You make a wish and throw it in. I don't know. I think she was making it up but yeah. It was a nice gesture." Troy explained.

He slid his fingers in between mine. "Don't you have somewhere more important to stand than in the back with me?" I asked him.

Troy kissed the side of my head. "No. I don't want to stand up there. I want to be at home already."

I rubbed his hand gently. "I'm sure this wont take long Troy-boy." I said, grinning at him.

He sighed at me. "Nana and her loose lips." He gave me a small grin.

"I thought you liked nicknames. You called me every dessert you can think of for like a week." I said, leaning my head against him.

"A Sugar booger is not a dessert." He defended.

I rolled my eyes. "Sugar is affiliated with desserts. It's like the same thing."

"But nobody would eat a booger coated in sugar." He argued.

"Oh my god Troy. That's disgusting." He opened his mouth to say something but the pastor started to speak again. "Shush." I hushed him.

He narrowed his eyes at me for a second. The pastor gave kind words and asked Jack and Troy to come up and throw their flowers in first. Troy started walking but didn't let go of my hand. He dragged me up there and I watched him throw his flower in first then Jack.

"Goodbye Lu." I whispered with my lips against the soft petal. I tossed mine in and Troy wrapped his arms around me.

The mood has been a rollercoaster. It was gloomy then content now it was glum again. I closed my eyes as I rested my head against his chest. He stroked the back of my head slowly. He watched the rest of the people toss in their roses. Saying a final goodbye to Lucille Bolton.

* * *

**These chapters have both been super heavy. I was trying to get this out before dinner but somebody decided to turn the WIFI off so i'm doing it now. Thank you guys for all the reviews. Seriously, i worked so hard on this story. It's weird. Every single time i name an OC i have like a list running through my head of names. I try not to use the same ones twice. And I ALWAYS seem to have themed names. Like _White liar_ i named the sisters twins Luke and Jason after Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean haha. And in _Texas Was You_, i had the president theme. and now i have the Beetles theme. I'm weird, i know. I was very italics happy today. I don't know why. Okay. i'm going to stop. Last two chapters of Fame and Love are going up tomorrow! Bittersweet i know ****:( **

**Don't forget to review!**


	36. Place

Troy offered to take me home but I knew we weren't going to go straight home. Troy reached over, grabbing my hand. "We need a place." He said.

"What?" I asked confused.

"Not like move in together but we need a place just for us. We have the Grand Canyon but we can't just drive over there on the drop of a dime." He played with my fingers. "We can't go to your house anymore because Cameron and your mom are home a lot more now and on the weekend they have the boys. I guess we can have my house but things are going to be crazy for a little while. Nana and Pop-pop are thinking about moving back down here to take care of me and dad. My aunt, uncle and Eddie are going to be in the house for the next couple of days. I hate to say it but I'm tired of them."

I smiled. "You're at my house half of the night."

He rolled his eyes. "I have to sneak out when everyone's asleep and sneak back in because they wake up. I just wish I didn't have to sneak around and I could stay for a night or two or something."

"You know mom doesn't mind. I don't think Cam will mind either."

"I'll just wait until they leave." He sighed.

"Where are we even going?" I asked, looking out the window.

He sighed again. "I don't even know, I'm just driving."

"Let's go back to your house." I said, rubbing his hand. "You look tired, let me drive."

He raised his eyebrows. "Drive the truck?"

I nodded. "Yeah? Is there a problem?"

He pulled off to the side of the road. "I'm not to sure about this."

"I'm an excellent driver. I don't want you to fall asleep. Let me drive." I let go of his hand, holding it out for the keys. He cut the engine and reluctantly handed them to me. He slid over and I climbed over him to sit in the drivers seat. "Just relax Troy." I said, kissing his forehead.

I clicked my seat belt on and I started driving. I got on the free way, we were about ten minutes from our neighborhood. I glanced over at Troy and he was already passed out against the window. Poor boy. I pulled into his drive way and cut the engine. He popped up. "What? We're here already?" He blinked his eyes. "Did you speed?"

I laughed a little. "No, you fell asleep. Come on, let me get you to bed." I pulled the key's out and shut the door behind me. I handed him back his key's and lead him inside his house. There were a couple lingering family members I saw in the kitchen with Jack. Eddie was playing video games in the living room. Troy and I headed up the stairs.

We heard humming from Troy's room. We walked in and saw Nana cleaning up Troy's room. "Nana? Why are you cleaning my room?" Troy asked, startling the older lady.

"Oh dear, you scared me. Gabi, you're here. I love that picture of you, you look beautiful." She held up a picture of Troy and I at the Grand Canyon from the first time, when I had my hair.

"Nana why are you cleaning my room?" Troy repeated. "Not that I'm complaining or anything." He gave her a kiss on the cheek before he sat on his bed.

"Because you obviously don't clean it. I see girl clothes and I pray to god they're Gabi's right?" She looked over at me then back at Troy. "Not that I'm judging. They might be a bit small for you though."

I giggled quietly. Troy burst out laughing. "Yes, they're Gabi's. Why aren't you down stairs with everybody else?"

She shrugged. "Pop-pop is taking his nap. Everyone in the kitchen is being broody. You weren't home yet so I thought I would clean your room."

"If you're bored, you can do mine too." I joked.

Troy rolled his eyes. "She's kidding."

"I may be old, but I know how to take a joke Troy-boy. You're getting broody too." She said, rubbing the top of his head.

"He's grumpy because he's tired." I explained. "I sent him up here to sleep."

"Well then, I'll make sure you aren't disturbed." She leaned down and kissed his cheek. "You're so handsome. You take after pop-pop but you have your dad's eyes." She winked at him. She gave me a hug. "Take care of my baby."

"Always Nana." I squeezed her and walked toward the bed as she walked out. She kept the door open, humming down the hallway. "She makes me wish I had grandparents." I climbed into bed with Troy. He wrapped his arms around me.

"You can share mine baby." His warm hand rested against my stomach. "I think I'm going to change." Troy climbed over me and closed the door behind him. He walked over to his dresser and pulled off his suit. He hung it up nicely, putting it in his closet. He pulled some shorts on and a Wildcats t-shirt. "Are you going to change?"

"Yeah, I guess I should." I slipped off my heels and kicked them under the bed. I dug through my drawer and found some yoga pants at the bottom. Troy started unzipping the back of my dress for me. He kissed the back of my neck before laying back down on the bed. I sighed when I realized I didn't have a bra on. "I don't have a bra."

"So." He said, watching me pull a t-shirt on over my body.

"I can't just have my tits flopping around while your family is down stairs." I argued. I saw a smirk grow on his face. "Don't look at me like that."

"Just put a sweater on, you won't even notice."

I picked his favorite basketball hoodie from his closet and put it on after I took the shirt off. I climbed back in Troy's bed. We got comfortable, laying together in silence. "Name the top five things you hate." I said, randomly.

"What?" He asked confused.

"The top five things you hate." I confirmed.

He let out a puff of air. "I don't know. I'd have to think about it."

"I'll tell you mine." I said, looking over at him.

"You thought about this a lot haven't you?" He asked, amused.

I nodded, smiling. "I actually did."

He laughed. "Oh god, let's hear it."

I sat up excitedly. "Okay. These are in no specific order. Cancer." I held a finger up. "Bible thumpers… well the people who try to sell their religion on everybody." I held a second finger up. "Child molesters, Animal abusers." I held the third and fourth fingers up. "And Last, but not least. The 'God hates Fags' people."

He looked at me with his eyebrows raised. "Interesting."

"I'm so serious. Like, if I ever went to an event where somebody had a sign that said 'god hates fags' I would say 'god hates you' and probably put them in the hospital." I said. "I hate them. Ugh. I HATE them. Intolerance is…" I trailed off. I could feel my self getting worked up over it.

"Calm down Gabi." Troy said chuckling. "I'll tell you my five things I hate."

"Alright."

"Okay, The pity look. It's a new one I've been getting since mom died." He hummed. "Being smothered. God love Nana but…" He sighed, trailing off, shaking his head. "Cancer." He said quietly. "People who talk to you like you're stupid. That pisses me off." He added. "And People who are assholes for no reason."

"That's a pretty good list." I said, nodding my head in agreement. I closed my eyes, leaning against him. "I don't want to go tomorrow."

"Where?"

"School." I said sighing. "We only have three more weeks but I'm so done."

"Isn't finals week this week?" He asked quietly.

"Yeah."

"I guess I should go back to school. They offered to give me another week." He rubbed my head. "I don't want people to treat me differently. It's annoying."

I licked my lips. "Come back to school then. I miss you." I kissed his lips lightly. "Chad does too. Speaking of Chad, where was he today?"

"It's his grandma's 90th birthday. He and his parents drove up to Santa Fe for the weekend." He said, kissing my chin. His lips moved his way up to mine. "I felt like I haven't kissed you in weeks."

"More like days." I said, pressing my lips against his slowly. "Like I said, I missed you."

"I missed you too. Why didn't you come over?" He rubbed my hip slowly.

I rested my chin on his chest. "I was giving you space. I know you would talk to me when you're ready. I would feel the same way if that happened."

"I love you Gab." He kissed my forehead.

"Love you too." I said, kissing his shirt clad chest. "Do you still want to do our summer road trip?" I asked, looking up at him.

"I don't know." He said quietly. "I haven't really thought about it."

"You don't have to decide now. We have a whole summer to do what we want." I reminded him. "I'm down still."

He nodded, closing his eyes for a second. "What would be your five thing you hated four months ago?" He asked, his eyes still shut.

I let out a soft laugh. "My dad, You, Poodle, Albuquerque, and My dad."

Troy chuckled. "That sounds about right." He ran his fingers through my hair. "Mine would have been. The off season, Ms. Darbus, those girls that followed me around, anybody on the football team and homework."

"The basketball team and the football team are rivals?" I asked, confused.

He shrugged. "I guess. It's more of a non-spoken rivalry. It's politics." I slipped my hand under his shirt and stroked his chest slowly. "Mmm, that feels nice." He hummed, relaxing against the bed.

There was a knock at the door. "Troy, Gabi. Dinner's ready." Nana called.

"Dinner? It's barely six." I said, looking over at Troy.

"They like to eat early." His eyes opening. He sat up. "Come on, you don't want to make Nana wait." He rolled off the bed and pulled me up. He kissed my lips slowly. He pressed his lips against mine more firmly. I wrapped my arms around his neck. His hands moved down my back slowly, picking me up by my butt. I wrapped my legs around him as his tongue pried its way into my mouth.

"Kids! Dinner!" Jack called this time, causing Troy to pull away from me.

He slowly put me down, pressing soft kisses on my lips. "Come on." He said bushing his thumb across my bottom lip. He put his hand in mine and we walked down the stairs. Troy and I sat at the table. I sat in between Nana and Troy. His hand drifted to my thigh as I started eating what was on the plate in front of me.

"So Gabi, where you going to college?" Len asked me.

"Stanford." I said after swallowing.

"She'll only be 30 something miles away from me." Troy said, squeezing my leg.

"You did pick Berkeley?" Pop-pop asked. Troy nodded his head. "Are you going to get an apartment?"

Troy cleared his throat. "I was going to do the dorm thing for the first year or two."

"Me too, to get socialized." I added. Troy chuckled. "What?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. Pass the steak Dad." After dinner Troy and I went back up stairs. I texted my mom letting her know what was going on. I cuddled up to Troy who was half asleep already. I closed my eyes, resting them for a minute.

* * *

I woke up to the sound of my alarm. I sat straight up and saw Troy sleeping beside me. I was still at Troy's house. I groaned and laid back down. There was a knock at the door. "Troy, honey, wake up." Nana came walking into the room. "Good morning Gabi." She said with a wide smile. "Pancakes are ready downstairs if you want some."

I smiled at her. "Thanks Nana. Good luck with him." I looked over at Troy who was still sleeping. I crawled out of the bed and walked down the stairs.

"Hey Gab." Jack greeted me, handing me a plate of pancakes.

"Hey Jack." I said, taking a seat. "How are you doing?"

"I'm tired, but I have to get back to work." He said, taking a drink of his coffee. "I've got all of these people around my house too." He said more quietly. Pop-pop was sitting at the table across the room but he had a hard time hearing. "It's been a crazy month."

I nodded. "It really has. We're going to be high school graduates in less than a month."

Jack smiled sadly. "Lucy really wanted to see him walk across the stage." I felt myself getting choked up. "But she knew when she first found out that she probably wouldn't have gotten to see that."

"Finally got him up." Nana said, walking in with a tired Troy in front of her. Their presence lightened the mood in the room. Troy sat down next to me, leaning his head on my shoulder. "Get up boy. I made pancakes."

"I know Nana." He grumbled. Nana pushed a plate of food in front of him. I had already started eating. I knew I wouldn't eat all of it though. I had a good four pancakes stacked on my plate.

I was about half way done when I checked the time. I still had to go home, shower and change. "I should get going. I have to get ready for finals. Yay."

Troy groaned. "I forgot about those."

"At least we get out early." I said, looking over at him. I kissed his cheek gently. "I'll see you at school. Bye Nana, Bye Pop-pop, Bye Jack."

We said our goodbyes and I walked home. I went upstairs and got dressed and ready for school. I got to school early enough to return my books because I knew I wouldn't need them any longer. I stood in line and looked through my math book. I flipped through it. There was a piece of paper I had left in there. I looked at the page in the book. 'Troy.' I must have wrote it when I was day dreaming. God I was so in love it was disgusting. I handed in my books before going back to my locker. I cleaned it out, taking my lock off.

We technically had three more weeks until graduation but after this week we didn't have to go. We had three days we needed to be here. One day to get our final grades and practice for graduation, another day to practice for graduation and on graduation day to finally walk across stage.

My transcript was a mess. I always took more classes than needed because I was always moving and each schools curriculum was different. I had more than enough units to graduate. I had some college credit already. I wanted to get out of college as quick as I possibly can. Which is partially why I quit boxing because I wanted to do a full load.

"Hey beautiful." I felt two arms wrap around me tightly. I came back to earth and shut my empty locker. "What are you doing?" He asked as I turned around.

"I just spaced out for a moment. Nana finally got you out of the house?" I asked, looking up at him.

He rolled his eyes. "Yes. Where's all of your stuff?"

"I turned books in already. I cleaned out my locker too." I said, smiling proudly.

"You can do mine next." He said with a sleepy smile. He covered his mouth with a hand before he yawned. "I'm exhausted."

"You can sleep after school." I said, leaning in to kiss his lips slowly. He rubbed my waist slowly before he pulled away. He opened his locker and I stared at the mess. "Oh my god Troy! Just looking at that is making me twitch."

Troy laughed at me. "What? Why?"

"It's a mess! I'm resisting the urge to clean it right now." I said, pulling out crumpled up papers. "Dear lord, do you need these?"

He took them from me and looked at them. "Nope." He put them back in his locker.

I sucked in a breath. "Throw them away! Don't put them back!" I pulled them out, throwing them away. Troy chuckled at me. His smile faced when people walked by, giving him a look. He sighed and turned around toward me. I rubbed his shoulder slowly. "Hey, it's alright. We have two classes today, we get out at noon."

He nodded, taking a deep breath. "Okay, you're right. I'm going to go talk to my first teacher." He turned to walk away.

I put my hand on his arm. "Hey, are you going to be okay?" I asked, sliding my hand to lace my fingers in between his.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I wished they just stopped looking at me like that."

"Troy!" We heard Sharpay screeched.

Troy saw that she was down the hall quite ways away. "I'm going to go, I'll meet you at your car." He kissed my lips quickly before he took off in the opposite direction.

Sharpay scoffed when he got to me. "I think he did that on purpose."

I smiled at her. "He did." I said, laughing a little bit. "Take it easy on him, okay? It's his first day back."

She sighed. "Fine. Only because I love you. Have you seen Zekey yet?"

"Nope." I said, shutting Troy's open locker. "I'll talk to you later."

"Tootles bitch." She said, sauntering down the hall.

* * *

Once finals were over I walked over to my car. I got in and pulled out my phone. I texted my mom and she was at the store asking me if I wanted anything. Somebody smacked my window, making me jump. Chad was laughing at me from outside the window. I opened the door and the edge of the car door grazed his balls.

He grunted and covered himself. I rolled down the window. "You scared me."

"My Balls." He squeaked.

"Oh shut up. I barely even got you." I looked up at him. Troy walked up, looking confused. "I hit him in the balls with the door."

Troy looked at Chad and he was standing up straight now. "You're girlfriend almost cut my balls off with her door."

I laughed. "shut up, I barely grazed them."

"Anyways." Troy said, shaking his head. "I have to take my aunt uncle and Eddie to the airport so I'll probably come over after I get back. We're still on for basketball tomorrow?" He asked, turning to Chad.

"Yeah, Buddy. See you. Bye Gabs." Chad waved at me.

"Bye Chad." I turned back to Troy. "When do you think you're going to get back?"

"Before seven." He said, leaning his head in the window. "I'll call you if anything changes okay?" He placed a soft kiss on my lips.

"Okay. I love you."

"Love you too baby." He kissed my lips again, more firmly this time. He pulled back and hit the back of his head on the car. "Your car is a death trap."

I laughed. "You weren't paying attention. Leave Jose alone." I rubbed my steering wheel.

"Jose?" Troy asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Ye. Jose. Don't you have somewhere to be?"

Troy laughed out loud. "I'll see you later babe." He walked away, still laughing.

* * *

**A lighter chapter. Happy Saturday. Don't forget to review!**


	37. Rhombus

_"Hey Gabi, it's your dad, call me back when you get this. Aaron says hi. Um, I love you. Bye."_

I looked at my phone and deleted the voicemail. "Who was that?" Troy asked, sitting next to me on my bed.

"My dad." I said, looking at Troy. "Remind me to call him back."

"Okay." He said, turning back to his text book.

Troy had some work to catch up on. We were in the middle of finals week. We had two more days of school left. I was happy for it to be over. I laid on my back, playing with the strings of the sweatshirt I was wearing. We were at my house. Mom was out and about and Cam was at work. Troy's dad was at work and he didn't want to be alone. Nana and pop-pop left yesterday so he was feeling a little lonely.

"Hey baby." He said, looking over to me.

"Yeah?" I asked, sitting up.

"Do you know anything about the Vietnam War?" He asked.

I took his book from him and turned it to the correct page. "There, read."

He groaned. "You're supposed to help me."

"Babe, I did help you. I turned you to the right page." I kissed his cheek. "Study this good and I'll help you prepare for your test, okay?"

He sighed. "Fine."

"I'm going to go get water and call my dad." I got up, grabbing my phone. I walked out of my room and down the stairs. I grabbed a bottle of water out of my fridge and drank half of it in one swig. I hadn't talked to my father in a while. I was kind of curious to see what he wanted.

I put the cap back on the water and called my father. "Hello?" He asked.

"Hey dad, it's Gabi." I said, hopping up on the counter. "I was taking a final when you called."

He cleared his throat. "Ah, well. I apologize."

"It's fine. Is everything okay?" I asked him, crossing my legs.

"Yeah, oh yeah. Everything is fine. I just wanted to call and see how you were doing. I knew you were graduating soon. I wanted to see if everything is on track with you." He said.

I licked my lips. "Yeah, I'm okay. Troy's mom passed last weekend and that kind of shook everything up. Troy's getting back on track now. I am doing well, though. How are things over there?"

"They're good. We put Aaron in baseball and Pheebs decided to be team mom." He explained. "Are you excited to graduate?"

I nodded my head. "Yeah, I am. I'm ready to be done. I can't wait to get to California."

"I miss Stanford. It was beautiful. You're going to love it." Dad murmured.

"That's what mom keeps telling me." I said. "I sent you something in the mail. It should be there in a couple of days."

"I didn't check the mail yet so it might be here already." Dad said distractedly. "How's your mom? I hadn't talked to her since Cameron moved in."

"She's been good. Her and Cameron are cute together. His boys are awesome." I said.

"That's good. Ah, here it is." Dad said.

"What?" I asked, confused.

I heard shuffling in the back ground. Dad let out a breath. "Gabi…"

"What?" I asked again.

"We'd love to go." I could hear him smiling. "Aaron is going to be so excited."

I smiled, realizing what he was talking about. "Yeah, I really want you guys to come. Life is to short to be bitter forever. Lucy taught me that."

"It is." He said quietly.

"Hey dad." I called out to him.

"Yeah, Gabi?"

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." I let out a puff of air. "I have to pick up Phoebe from the salon. I love you."

"I love you too Dad. I'll see you soon." I said before hanging up.

I decided to invite my dad and phoebe to graduation. Mom and I had a long talk about it one night. Dad wasn't good with showing emotions other than love and anger. I understood because I was the same way. I got a lot more from him than realized. I took another drink of my water before I walked back upstairs.

* * *

"Are you ready for your quiz?" I asked Troy.

"No." He said looking up at me.

I took his book from him. "You'll be fine. I'm going to ask you a question. If you get it right, I'll take something off. If you get it wrong, you have to take something off."

He raised his eyebrow at me. "Fine."

I cleared my throat, looking at the book. "When did the Vietnam war begin?"

"1932" He answered.

"That was world war two. 1959." I said, shaking my head. "Take something off."

He sighed, kicking off his shirt. "This is not fair."

"What was their political party?" I asked him.

"Communism." He said, looking up at me.

"Correct. See you can do this." I set the book down and took off my jeans.

"Okay, next one." He said more confidently.

"Where did this war take place?" I asked him.

"Vietnam." He said laughing.

I smirked. "You got two right." I took off my shirt.

"Shut up, give me a harder one."

"Who was helping Vietnam before the US stepped in?"

"Uh… China?"

"France." I said smirking. He sighed and took his pants off. "That wasn't even hard." He growled at me. "Who was the president that sent troops to Vietnam?"

"Johnson."

"Correct." I smiled at him, unhooking my bra. I flung it towards my hamper. "Keep getting them right I'll be naked in no time."

"That's the plan." He said, smirking at me.

"Did we fight in A) jungle B)at sea or C) in valleys."

"A! I saw Forrest Gump." Troy said, laughing.

I shook my head at him. I stood up and pulled my panties down. "Okay. Next question." I picked the book back up.

"What do you mean next question? You're naked."

"So? If you get this right, you wont have to study anymore."

"Deal!" Troy said grinning.

"Who succeeded Johnson and when did they become president?" I asked him, crossing my legs.

"Uh, Nixon." I nodded my head. "Umm…" I looked down at the book, flipping for my next question. Troy took the book from me and threw it on the floor. "No more." He husked, kissing my lips firmly.

"You didn't answer the second part of the que-es-tion." I said, my breath hitching as he his thumbs brushed against my nipples.

"1969." He answered with a smirk. He scooted me up on the bed, kissing my lips firmly. I tugged his jeans down gripping him from the outside of his boxers. "Mmm, Gabi." He moaned against my mouth. I kissed his lips firmly.

I rolled on top of him, straddling him. I dragged my fingernails down his chest, sucking lightly on his neck. He ran his fingers through his hair. I pulled away to look at him and he was staring at the ceiling. "Troy?"

He turned to me. "Sorry. I.."

"It's okay. We don't have to do this." I said quietly, rubbing his chest.

"Sorry." He said, scooting out from under me.

I climbed off him. "Really, it's okay." I confirmed, kissing his forehead. I picked up my clothes, walking into the bathroom. I got changed back into clothes and walked out. Troy had put pants on and was laying in the same spot as before. "Are you okay?" I asked, crawling to lay next to him.

"I don't know. I know I initiated it. I thought I wanted to do it but It just.. I don't know. It wasn't you."

I kissed his chest gently. I rubbed his chest slowly. "It's alright Troy." I gave him a soft smile. "Dad got my invite."

He turned to me. "Really? What did he say?"

"He said he and phoebe and Aaron are coming. I think he was really happy that I sent it to him." I said, looking at him. "We had a civil conversation. It was kind of weird but nice."

Troy gave me a soft smile. "I'm glad. Aaron is going to be so excited."

"Yeah, he is." I said softly.

* * *

We had completed our finals for all of our classes. We were going to get our grades soon. It had been a couple days after the last day of school and I hadn't seen Troy all weekend. He spent the weekend with his grandparents on his dads side. I was a little lonely but I spent some quality time with the boys. I helped CJ with his homework and Chris and I had a musical movie marathon. They were such great kids. I also met their mom. She was really nice, very excepting of mom and Cam's relationship.

It was Monday and I was going to Sharpay's country club. She has been begging me to go with her since the weather turned hot. I finally caved last night when Chris and I watched Hairspray for the fifth time. I had my bathing suit on under the dress I was wearing. I drive up to Lava Springs. Sharpay said she planned the whole day for us. God only knows what was going to happen.

"Hi!" Sharpay squealed. She rushed over in an over sized pink sunhat carrying a small dog in her arms.

"Puppy!" I reached out for the dog when I climbed out of the car.

"This is boi!" She said, grinning.

I made a face. "Boi? Really. You couldn't think of a better name. He looks like a Charlie to me." She put the dog in my arms. I held it up giving it a kiss before I cuddled with the dog.

"Ew Charlie?" She wrinkled her nose. "Anyway. Come on. I have your pass and we can get started." I looked over at her. "We are going to start off with yoga."

"Yoga?" I asked, raising my eyebrow.

"It's amazing. You'll love it." Sharpay said, dragging me along.

I sighed and let her drag me. The dog and I just looked at each other. We went to Yoga and it was alright. I was flexible so it wasn't that bad. It was actually really hard. We moved on to get massages. The dog was passed onto a short sweaty bald man Sharpay called Fulton.

I laid down letting an Asian woman named Mary massage my back. I was trying to relax but for some reason I just couldn't. "You are very tense Miss Gabriella." Mary said, kneading my shoulder.

"Sorry." I mumbled. My face was squished in the place my head was resting.

"How's Troy doing?" Sharpay asked me after a dramatic sigh.

"He's doing the best he can. It's only been a week." I said, lifting my head up a little bit.

"He seemed okay at school." Sharpay noted. "Has he called you since he left?"

"No, but he's with his grandparents so it doesn't really bother me." I licked my lips. "I think he was okay just because he had something to keep his mind off of what happened."

"Zekey is prepping for France. He talks in French all the time. It's getting kind of irritating." Sharpay said.

I couldn't help but laugh a little. "When does he leave?"

"The last week of July. We already decided we were going to break up. It sucks but we've only been together for a couple of months. We agreed to move on." Sharpay said.

"That's very mature of you." I noted. "I guess hanging out with me is rubbing off on you."

She laughed. "Shut up Gabi."

I smiled to myself, feeling a bit more relaxed. "Laugh more. You get less tense." Mary said, moving down to my lower back.

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" I asked Sharpay, looking at the tub filled with mud.

"Shut up and get in." She said, sinking down into the mud. She placed cucumbers on her face. "Mary, do you have the avocado mask?"

"Yes, Miss Sharpay." Mary said coming over with a bowl.

I let out a sigh and took off the robe. I took a drink of the complementary lemon water. I fixed my bikini, sinking into the mud. I closed my eyes and leaned back. I felt somebody start spreading something on my face. This was weird. I was new to pampering myself. "This is interesting." I said.

"It's amazing isn't it?" Shar said. I could hear her smile. "My favorite part about the club."

"It's different." I said. "Shar?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever had somebody close to you pass?" I asked her.

"No, not really." She said. "Why?"

I licked my lips. "I don't know. I'm trying to put myself in his shoes. I don't know what I would do if my mom died. She has been there for me more than anybody, ever. I guess I'd feel really empty, ya know?" I sighed. "I don't know. I'm being selfish, I guess. I want Troy to be the way he was before. I know that Troy is gone though." I bit my bottom lip.

"It will take time for him to feel something close to normal." Sharpay said. "Ryan is moving to New York. I'm staying here. I've been in complete denial about it. He is literally my other half. I know I'm going to miss him so much. It's weird that he's not going to be a room away."

"I'm going to miss my mom when I move." I said, letting out a sigh. "I'll even miss Albuquerque. I've only lived here for like five months now."

"I'll miss you."

I smiled. "I'll miss you too Shar."

"Aww! Let's stop talking about leaving. You're going to make me cry." Sharpay said.

I laughed a little bit. "Okay." I felt the mask start to tighten up. "Okay, what the hell is the mud supposed to do?"

"Exfoliate? I think." Sharpay said.

I shook my head. "You don't even know."

She laughed out loud. "I really don't, I'm sorry."

I laughed too. "It's okay. It's weird but it's nice." We sat in silence for a little while until the timer rang.

"Time to get out." I heard Sharpay moving around.

I got up, looking at her. "Now what do we do?"

"Shower" She said in a 'duh' tone. I rolled my eyes and followed her into the showers. I washed my face and my body off. I met Sharpay in the locker room and I changed into normal underwear and my dress. We walked over to the salon and got our nails done. She took me around the golf course in her pink golf kart. We stopped at a hole that Ryan and her father were at. "Daddy!"

"Hey princess! Hi Gabi." Mr. Evans said.

"Hi Gabi." Ryan said with a grin.

"Hey Ry." I gave him a hug. "Can I hit one?"

"Sure thing." He handed me a gold club and a ball.

I laughed. "I don't know what I'm doing so.." I shrugged. I put the ball down on the tee. I gripped my hands on the club and squared my hips. "Do I yell four? Do people do that?" I asked, looking back at them.

Mr. Evans chuckled. "Yes, Gabi."

"FOUR." I yelled. I took a swing but I didn't hit it very far.

"Good job." Ryan said, patting my back. "Do you want to try again?"

I laughed. "No thank you. I think I'll stick to boxing."

"Ready Gabi?!" Sharpay asked, already back in the golf kart. "Ready for lunch?"

"Sure. But it is almost three." I said. She rolled her eyes.

* * *

After 'lunch' I decided it was time to go. I was really exhausted. I parted ways with Sharpay and I drove home. I headed straight for the kitchen, getting a drink of water. "Hey Gab." Cam came in, kissing the top of my head. "How was the spa?" He asked, wiggling his fingers.

I snorted. "It was very… different. I got a mud bath and green shit on my face. But my skin feels like a baby's ass." I ran my fingers along my face.

He laughed. "Sounds invigorating." Cam said smirking. "Troy came by earlier. He said your phone was off. I'm guessing you still haven't called him back?"

"Yeah. I didn't turn my phone on yet." I said, licking my lips. "I'll call him when I turn my phone on."

"Alright, your mom should be back soon. She's still trying to redecorate the downstairs bathroom." Cam said.

I laughed, shaking my head. "Typical mom." I walked up the stairs and laid on my bed. I pulled out my phone, turning it on. I closed my eyes for a minute, letting it turn on. It started vibrating as all the messages were coming in. Once it stopped I looked at it. Seven missed calls from Troy. I pursed my lips and called him.

"Hello?" He answered.

"Hey."

"I called you like ten times." Troy said.

I turned to my back and kicked off my shoes. "I was at the spa with Sharpay and I turned my phone off."

"What if I was hurt?" He asked.

I rolled my eyes. "I wouldn't know. You haven't called me in three days, how was I supposed to know you were going to call me the day I was actually doing something?"

"Whoa. I was kidding." He said. I sighed. "Do you want me to come over?"

"It would be nice. You don't have to if you don't want to." I said before I yawned. "Door's unlocked." I said before I hung up.

I looked at my phone, deleting a couple of messages. I stretched out my body. It was still a little sore from the yoga this morning. I put my phone back on the bed stared up at the ceiling. I heard the front door close and somebody coming up the steps. I closed my eyes before I felt somebody lay on the bed with me.

"Hey."

I turned to look at him, opening my eyes. "Hey." I said softly.

"You look like you're glowing." Troy said, touching my cheek. "Your skin is so soft." He said, kind of amazed.

"I guess that's what spa's are for." I said, looking at him.

He pulled me closer to him, wrapping his arms around me. He kissed my forehead. "I missed you."

I leaned my head against his chest, closing my eyes. "I guess not enough to call." I said dryly.

Troy sighed. "They kept me pretty busy."

"Okay." I said tiredly. I really didn't want to fight. "It just sucked."

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah." I closed my eyes, resting against him. He lifted my chin up and placed a soft kiss on my lips. "What did you do?" I asked him, opening my eyes again after our lips parted.

He was looking away. "They force fed me, Grandpa took me fishing and bowling most of the time. Grandma was teaching me how to cook some new things. I wished you were there. You would have had a good time."

"I'm glad you had some quality time with them before you left for college." I said, licking my lips.

"I caught a tuna."

I raised my eyebrow. "A tuna?"

"Yep. I threw it back though."

"That sounds fun. I got another tattoo."

He looked over at me. "Of what?"

"A rhombus." I said.

He just looked at me confused. I pulled away from him sitting up. I showed him the small shape resting next to my hip bone. "Oh, a diamond."

"Supposedly. Since a diamond is not a geometric shape, it's technically a rhombus." He rolled his eyes at me. "But yes, it is a diamond."

"Why?"

"You know why."

"Mom." He said quietly.

"Bingo." I laid back next to him. He moved my dress up to touch the new tattoo.

"I like it." His gentle touches were getting me all hot and bothered. We hadn't done it in a while. I was starting to get a little anxious. Last time I tried he wasn't into it so I'd have to wait for him. I tried not to let how he was effecting me show. He pulled my dress down and smoothing it down with his hand.

I licked my dry lips. "Me too."

* * *

No shpeal today! Enjoy your sunday! Don't forget to review!


	38. Graduation

Graduation came quicker than expected. Dad, Phoebe and Aaron were in town, trying to spend time with me. Troy's family was in town as well and we didn't really see much of each other. I felt like I was slowly building my walls back up. Troy and I talk but it's not like how it was before. Sharpay was in her own little world. I felt like I was alone again.

Mom and Cam were still going strong. No signs of proposal yet but I could tell it was coming within the next year. I was really happy for my mom though. She deserved, more than anybody else, to be happy. She's the strongest person I know. I could say she is my role model. She was my rock and I could never make up everything she gave me.

I found myself about to cry. It was the morning of graduation and I couldn't sleep at all last night. I just sat on my balcony looking at the stars. Troy doesn't spend the night that much any more. Everything is just different. I didn't know where the summer was going to take me. For the first time since we got together I doubted if Troy and I would last.

"Gabi!" I heard a knock at the door. "Breakfast!" CJ called out to me.

"I'll be there in a minute." I called back out. I got out of bed and washed my face, putting my hair behind my ear. I got dressed before I walked down stairs. I took a seat before mom put a plate of food in front of me. "Thanks." I said quietly.

We ate and everybody was talking about summer plans and graduation. I didn't say much. I was more focused on keeping my food down. I was nervous and I didn't know why. "Baby, are you alright?" Mom asked me. "You've been pushing that around for like five minutes."

I nodded. "I'm okay. I'm just a little nervous about tonight."

"You just have to walk across the stage babe." Mom assured, rubbing my hand.

I got up, putting my plate in the sink. "Yeah, I'm going to shower." I said, walking up the stairs. I took a quick shower, grabbed my keys, purse and phone and walked down stairs. "I'm going for a drive." I said.

"Don't forget you have to be at the school by three." Mom reminded me.

"Alright, love you."

"Love you too." She called out before I closed the door.

I walked out to my car. I saw Troy out in in his drive way. We made eye contact but we didn't say anything. I climbed in my car and drove off without a second thought. I drove down the street to the park, sitting there for a minute. I closed my eyes briefly. I pulled out my phone, calling Shane.

"Hello?" His voice sounded.

I sighed. "Hey."

"Hey, Gabi. How are you?" He asked me.

"Not good." I said, cutting the engine, bringing my feet up to the seat.

"Aren't you supposed to be graduating today?" He asked me.

I nodded my head. "Not until later." I said. "I have a couple hours before I have to leave."

"I wish I could be there. I'm in New York." I could hear his frown.

"I wish you could come too." I said, sighing. "I don't know what's wrong with me Shane."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

I licked my lips. "Things have been weird between Troy and I since his mom died. I expected that, I mean, it was his mom. I know he's grieving and I shouldn't be taking it so personally but I am." I said, biting my lip. "Everything is different."

"Aw, I'm sorry Gab."

"I always wanted my mom to find somebody. I love Cam to death but some times I wish it was just me and her. Dad is in town with the family and we're okay. I don't know. I just feel like I lost myself when I came here. All these people that are here, changed me."

He cleared his throat. "Why do you say that?"

"I'm soft, Shane. Just like you said. I'm soft and I don't like being susceptible to hurt. I don't know what to do. If I put my guard up again, I don't know if I'll be able to ever bring it back down again." I said frustrated. "I don't know what to do." I repeated.

"Gabi, you need to relax." He said. "You're 18 years old for god sakes. You don't need to be worrying about this. You are graduating high school in a few hours. In a few months, you will go to college. You will graduate and then you have time to worry about that."

"You don't understand what I'm saying." I complained.

"Gabriella, yes I do. You're worried about Troy. You don't know if he's ever going to be the same again. He's a great kid but he's probably not going to be. Don't give up on him. I could be wrong. I'm not god. I don't know." I heard him say. "It's okay, Gabi. You don't have to know everything."

"It's so frustrating." I said, my voice cracking. "I don't know if I'm strong enough to stick around and be ignored. I don't know if I should say something." I took a deep breath, calming myself down.

He sighed. "I don't know what to tell you. You have to talk to him, tell him how you feel."

There was a tap on the window and I jumped. Troy as standing next to me. "Well he found me, so I have to go. I'll call you soon."

"Alright and congratulations. I'll be there for your party." He said.

"Okay see you then. Bye." I hung up my phone and turned on the car to roll down the window. I looked up at him.

"Can we talk?" He asked.

"Yeah." I said. I rolled up the window and turned off the car. I put my purse under the seat and stuffed my phone in my pocket. I got out of my car and walked over to Troy who was waiting for me. We started walking into the park silently. I was thinking about everything that could possibly go wrong. I was preparing for the breakup.

We took a seat on a bench and I heard him take a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

"Okay." I said, putting my hands under my legs.

"I know I've been in a shitty mood since my mom died. I'm sorry for ignoring you." He said, looking away from me.

"It's understandable." I said quietly. "She was your mom."

He paused. "I didn't want to talk to anybody. For the last week and a half. Not family, not my dad, not even Chad. I barely talked to you."

"Why?" I asked quietly, turning to look at him.

He shrugged. "I don't know. I just…" He trailed off. "I don't know what I'm doing anymore Gab. I don't know if I'm doing the right thing. I'm second guessing everything I do. I'm letting down my family. I'm letting you down."

I frowned. "Hey, it sucked not talking to you and this whole awkward thing but I don't want you to feel like you're letting me down. I know things are going to be different. I just want to adjust to the change with you, not apart from you."

Troy closed his eyes. "You're right. It's not the same."

I bit my bottom lip, looking away from him again. "Are you breaking up with me?" I asked him quietly.

"What? No. God, no." I looked over at him, with tears in my eyes. His confused face softened. "I don't want to break up, Gabi. I want what you want. I wanted to apologize to you for being a shitty boyfriend and move past this together."

I scooted over to him, resting my head on his arm. "I'm sorry for being a shitty girlfriend."

He chuckled a little bit. I felt a bit more at ease. I licked my lips slowly. He kissed to the side of my head and I looked up at him. I kissed his lips slowly. He gave me a soft smile. "I love you, Gabriella."

I rested my nose against his. "I love you." I moved my hand down his arm slowly, lacing my fingers in between his.

"I'm nervous about graduation." Troy said, leaning his head against mine.

"Me too." I said, looking up at me.

"It's just like… now what?" He sighed, playing with my fingers.

"I feel the same." I said sighing. "I just want it to be over and everybody to leave."

"Your dads here?" He asked, I nodded. "I feel like my whole family is here. I barely slipped away to come here."

"How'd you know where I was?" I asked him.

"If you turn left you're going to the park. If you turn right, you're going somewhere else." Troy explained, looking at me.

I sighed. "When did I get so predictable?"

Troy smiled a little bit. "Baby, you are never predictable. I promise you that."

"I missed you." I cuddled against him.

"I missed you too." He wrapped both his arms around me.

"I just want to get away." I said sighing.

Troy raised his eyebrow. "Road trip?"

"When?" I asked.

"Sunday." He said. It was Tuesday. My party was tomorrow and his was on Saturday.

"Hell yes." I said, looking over at him. "Are we going east?"

"Whatever direction you want babe." He said, kissing my forehead.

I cupped his face, kissing his lips slowly. "Anywhere sounds perfect."

* * *

We rushed into graduation practice a little late. We got a bit distracted at the park, and by distracted I mean we were busy making out. I was ready to get this over with. We had already walked out. I don't know why did it outside. It was six o'clock and it was still hot as hell outside. I was sitting in between two people who I've never talked to. Troy was on the other side and Sharpay was four rows in front of me. Taylor was the closest one to me, she was about three people over from me.

Taylor differed sitting on stage because she wanted to sit with our class. She went up to present her valedictorian speech. It was as cliché as the rest of them. She was nearing the end when she said something that caught my attention. _"Life is short. Some people know that better than others. Whether it was a family member or a friend, it makes you reevaluate your decisions. It's a lesson for all of us to strive to do what we love and love what we do."_

I looked around and found Troy who was looking at me. He gave me a soft smile and a wink. _"We lost an amazing woman and mother recently. She was a very active part of the PTA and her sons academics and athletics."_ Taylor went on. I saw Troy frown a little when he turned back around. _"I would like for us to take a moment of silence for Lucille Bolton and any other loved ones who have passed on this year."_

The whole place went silent. I looked down at my finger nails. I got them done yesterday so I was still getting used to the acrylics. I tapped them on my legs silently._ "Thank you. Now I'd like to present our principal, Mr. Mike Matsui."_ Taylor said and we all clapped.

The principal started announcing names and it went by fairly quickly. Our class was only a couple hundred deep. I walked across the stage and grabbed my diploma. I walked out and waited another ten minutes for it to be finished. All the boys threw their hats up but I was just ready to get out of here. I was mentally preparing myself for a super awkward dinner with my mom, dad, Cam, Phoebe, Aaron and the boys. I hadn't asked Troy to come along because we weren't really talking when we planned it so I was in this alone.

I stood in the middle of the football field with people rushing around me. I was grateful that nobody has found me yet. I was enjoying the craziness around me without being a part of it. I saw CJ and Chris run over to me, almost tackling me in a hug. I hugged them tightly. "Hey Guys."

"Congrats sis." CJ said, grinning.

I had come increasingly close with the boys over the last week. They are pretty awesome, the siblings I've always wanted. We've only lived together a couple months but we fought like normal siblings. I took them out to do things all the time. I even went to a West High party once. We only stayed an hour or so because it was pretty lame.

"Congratulations Gabi" Chris said. I just hugged them tighter.

"Thanks Guys." I said, smiling at him.

Cam found us next. "Look at that. Let me get a picture." He held up his camera and the boys stood on either side of me. They were both getting taller than me, I felt like a shrimp next to them. I smiled widely, letting Cameron take a quick picture.

"My baby" Mom said, rushing over to me. She was already crying.

"Oh god." I said, as she threw her arms around me. I hugged her back, squeezing her tightly. I appreciated my mom more since Lucy died. I knew I still did things she didn't like but she loved me anyway. She loved me through everything. She was an amazing mom but she's not perfect and that's fine with me. "I love you Mom. Thank you for everything." I said, with my cheek pressed up against hers.

"I love you too baby. You are more than welcome." She said, sniffling in my ear. I rubbed her back and I buried my face in her neck. She smoothed down my hair slowly. She pulled away from me and I wiped the tears off her face. "You are the best daughter a mother could ask for."

I laughed, shaking my head. "Hell no I'm not. I'm a shitty daughter but I'll make it up to you one day mom." I rubbed her arm. "I promise."

She shook her head at me, kissing my forehead. "Go say hi to your dad."

I pulled away from her and Aaron rushed over to me, hugging my legs. "Gabi!" I picked him up, hugging him tightly. "Condradulashuns." He said, grinning innocently.

I laughed, giving him another hug. "Thanks bud." I kissed the top of his head before I set him down. "Hey." I said to Dad and Phoebe. I hugged her then my dad quickly.

"Thank you so much for letting us be a part of this, Gabi." Phoebe said, wiping the tears that were welling up in her eyes. "It really meant a lot to us."

"I'm really proud of you Gabi." Dad said, pulling me into another hug. "I can't believe you're all grown up now."

I hugged him tightly before pulling away from him. "Thank you guys for coming." I said with a soft smile. "It means a lot to me too. I'm glad I put everything behind me. I'm focused on a drama-free future."

"You know if you ever, ever need anything. You can feel free to call us." Phoebe said, rubbing my arm gently.

"Thanks Pheebs." I smiled at her.

"There's my girl." I heard a voice in my ear and hands on my hips.

"Hey." I turned around to face him. "Congratulations." I leaned up to give him a brief kiss.

"You too. Hey all." He greeted my family behind me. He talked to mine while I greeted his.

I gave Jack a big hug, I hadn't seen him in a while. He was looking good. He still had dark circles under his eyes. "Hey, haven't seen you in a while."

"I know, it's been a rough month." I said sighing. "How are you?"

"I'm okay, how are you?"

"I'm better." I said, giving him a small smile. "I get to go to dinner with the whole family." I said, jerking my thumb behind me.

He chuckled. "Your favorite- family time."

I rolled my eyes. "You're welcome to come!" I said, laughed.

Jack chuckled. "We'll see." He kissed the top of my head and I moved on to greet Troy's grandparents.

The Bolton's couldn't make it to dinner but we still went. It was a little awkward in the beginning but everybody eventually warmed up to each other. I sat in between my parents. Cam on the other side of mom and Phoebe across from Dad, Her, Aaron, Chris and CJ were on the other side of the table.

* * *

Everybody came back to the house to hang out for a little bit and that's when I slipped away again. I went into my backyard and took a seat on my hammock. I rocked myself back and forth thinking about what this summer was going to be like. Troy and I were leaving for a while. We didn't know when we were even coming back. It was exciting. I was ready for a road trip.

"Why are you out here all alone?" I heard Troy's voice, followed by the door sliding closed.

"Getting away from the crazy." I said, turning to look at him. "What about you?"

"Smothering grandparents. I think I gained fifty pounds in the 3 days they've been here." He claimed. I smiled softly. "Can I join you?"

"You better." I scooted over, careful not to fall. He laid down beside me making the hammock rock. We wiggled, adjusting to each other. He wrapped my arms around me, kissing my cheek. "How is everybody?"

"Good. Making my house a mess then cleaning it up." He said, nuzzling his nose against my neck. "I had to get away too. I told my dad I was leaving and ran all the way here."

I laughed quietly. I turned onto my side and kissed his lips gently. "I'm glad you came."

"I think we should have another date on Thursday." He said, nibbling my earlobe gently. "Would you like that?"

"Yeah." I moved my fingers up his shirt slowly. "I can't wait." I stroked his abs slowly as I laid against his arm. I put my leg over his, closing my eyes. "This is nice." I said quietly.

"I'm looking forward to quiet nights like these when we're on the road." He said, playing with my hair. "I'm really glad we're going on a road trip, babe."

I nodded my head. "Me too. Just you, me and the road."

"What are you doing?" Cam asked suddenly, making us both jump. He laughed. "Just messing with ya. Your mom wanted to know if you wanted some ice cream."

"Troy?" I asked looking over at him.

"I'm good thanks." He said, looking over at Cam.

"Thanks anyway, Cam." I said.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Suit yourself." Cam closed the door.

I turned over to Troy and he kissed my lips slowly. "I love you." He mumbled before giving me another light kiss. I held the back of his neck and slid my tongue in between his lips. I clawed down his abs slowly as we our tongues battled. He let out a groan as I brushed my fingers under the elastic of his boxers. "Mmm, Babe." He pulled away from me.

My hands retuned to the place on his stomach. "What?" I asked him, catching my breath.

"Not here, anybody could walk out." He said, laying his head back down. I sighed, wrapping both of my arms around his waist, resting my head on his chest. "Soon." He said, kissing my forehead.

"Alright." I said quietly.

"Hey, Gabi. We're getting ready to head out." I heard my dad say.

I sat up. "Alright, I'll be right there." I looked over at Troy. "We should go say goodbye."

He sighed. "I know, but I don't know how to get off this thing without flipping it over."

I burst out laughing. "It's an art, stay still." He stilled and I rolled off the hammock, planting my feet on the ground. "Do you need help baby?"

"No I got it." He said. He tried to roll off but landed on his ass. I burst out laughing again. "Shut the fuck up Gabi." He said frowning.

I pouted, giggling. "I'm sorry, let me help you up." I held out my arms. He took my hands and tried to pull himself up but I let him go, letting him fall on his ass again. I giggled and ran inside.

"Gabi!" I heard Troy yell after me.

I closed the door behind me and hid behind Cam. "Save me." I said, "Stay still." I told him.

Cam chuckled. "What did you do?" He asked.

"He fell off the hammock, I laughed, I offered to help him up, dropped him, laughed and ran away." I said.

Cam laughed. "I'm not protecting you. Troy, she's over here."

"No!" I squealed, clinging on to Cameron's shirt. He moved out of the way and Troy grabbed me. "Nooo." He threw me over his shoulder and I grabbed onto him to keep myself from falling. "Troy, you better not drop me. I swear to- Troy!" He pretended like he was going to drop me. "Stop fuc- messing around." I forgot there was little ears present.

Troy chuckled and set me down. "I'll deal with you later." He promised, kissing my lips gently.

I pushed myself away from him. "I'll let you guys go." I said, walking over to my dad and Phoebe. Aaron was sleeping on my dad. "See you guys soon." I said quietly, rubbing my brothers back.

"I'm so proud of you." Dad said, kissing the top of my head. "I'll see you soon."

"Bye Pheebs." I said, hugging her.

"Bye sweetheart. I'll call you soon." She said.

I smiled. "Alright, give him a kiss for me when he wakes up."

"Will do." Dad said. "Bye Gabi."

"Bye Dad."

* * *

**I was debating on whether or not i would post a long rant about plagiarism. Honestly, i shouldn't need to. Seriously? Come on guys. If you need help you can ask me. i'll try to help the best way i can. You shouldn't feel the need to take somebody elses work. I know. I'm being kind of dissmissive about it because we should be more mature than that. That's all i'm going to say about that.**

**Don't forget to review.**


	39. Parties

My graduation party wasn't anything spectacular. My dad had given me the bank bonds he had saved up for me along with another thousand dollars. I was going to sit on the bonds, wait until I turn 21 to cash them in. The other money went into the bank. Mom said she was going to surprise me with her present. I still haven't gotten it yet. Cam and the boys bought me some cool stuff to bring to California with me.

Troy's party wasn't for another hour or so and then we were leaving tomorrow. I had already cleared it with my mom as long as I call to check in at least once a day and we didn't stay in any cheap, dirty motels. We didn't really plan anything, we were just going to play by ear. We made sure we had money and a spare. I got a tune up and an oil change so it would run well when we were on the road.

I was sitting on my balcony again. It was one of the things I've gotten used to since we'd moved to Albuquerque. It was my favorite part of the house. I looked up in my tree. There were a couple of birds in there, chirping. I was already dressed and ready for the party. I got an involuntary shiver then felt a hand on my back.

"Hey Mom." I said, looking over at her.

She took a seat next to me. "Hey Baby." She smoothed down my hair. "Why are you out here?"

I shrugged. "It's a nice day."

Mom laid her head on my back. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss you too Mom." She put her hand on mine. I squeezed her hand gently. "We won't be gone long. A month and a half at most. I'll drain all my money on gas."

"I'm going to give you money." She said. "I don't want you stranded in the middle of nowhere."

"I was joking, we'll probably spend it on food."

"I'll bet you'll gain like 10 pounds on this road trip."

"Mom!" I looked over at her. "Don't jinx it."

She laughed. "Sorry, but that's all you're going to do."

I thought about it for a moment. "Probably."

"Anyway, are you ready?" Mom asked me, kissing the top of my head.

"Yeah." I stood up. "I'm ready to go."

"Come on, I told Jack I would help him anyway I could." She said, getting up as well. She walked inside first and I shut the balcony doors behind me. I grabbed my phone and put it in my pocket. I walked out of my room closing the door behind me.

Mom was ready to go as well. The boys were at their moms house and Cam had a meeting at work. We walked down the street together and I rang the doorbell. "Hey Gabi." Troy's Aunt Kat answered the door. "Marie, come in."

I gave her a hug. "Troy upstairs?" I asked her.

"He's around here somewhere." Kat said laughing, walking with my mom to the kitchen. I walked up the stairs and passed some of his cousins on the way up.

I knocked on his closed door. "Sammy girl, what did I tell you about ding dong ditching me?" He opened the door. I smirked at him. He was holding a towel around his waist behind the door. "Hey, baby."

"Your door was locked." I said, walking in. He shut the door and locked it after I walked in. "You're going to be late for your own party."

He rolled his eyes. "I don't even want a party." He said, taking off his towel. He started drying himself off. "Stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?" I asked, looking away from his penis.

"Like you're ready to jump me."

"Sorry." I mumbled. "It's been a while."

He pulled on some boxers silently. I turned my attention somewhere else. I turned around and walked toward the door. "Where are you going?"

"I was going to wait for you down stairs." I said, turning back around.

"You can stay up here with me." He made his way over to me and put his hands on my hips. He kissed me slowly. I cupped his face and let him pull me against him. He kissed my jaw gently. "I'll be over tonight, I can promise you that." He kissed me again roughly before letting me go. He went on, putting a nice button up shirt on before walking out of his room.

He left me standing there with a throbbing between my legs and a small smirk on my lips. "All you have to do is get through today." I told myself, thinking out loud. I turned around and I walked out, closing the door behind me.

I made my way down stairs and found my mom; I took a seat next to her. "What is that look for?" Mom asked me.

I laughed. "What look?" She shook her head at me as if she knew something. "What?"

"Nothing Gabriella." She said, laughing. "_Olvidate_"

I rolled my eyes at her. I hated when she spoke in Spanish to me. "I'm going to find someone else to talk to." She laughed again and I walked away, looking for somebody else to talk to.

I was surrounded by Troy's family. I mingled for an hour, eating and talking to the members of his family that I knew. After the party started winding down, I went upstairs and laid on Troy's bed. I was bored and I wanted to be somewhere quiet. I found a book that I left here and started reading it. I was a chapter deep when somebody laid practically on top of me.

"I'm hiding because of my family too." Troy said, rolling off to lay next to me. He kissed the shell of my ear breaking my attention from the book. "How long have you been up here?"

"Only about a half hour." I said. His finger drew small circles on the small of my back. "I needed some peace and quiet and I didn't want to talk about college anymore."

He sighed. "Yeah, they like to talk about that. I'm sorry about them."

I gave him a soft smile. "It's okay, they've all been really awesome." I leaned down to peck his lips quickly. I turned back to my book. He took my book out of my hands and rolled me onto my back. "What are you doing?"

"Shh…" He hovered over me, kissing my lips slowly. I moved my fingers though his hair, kissing his lips firmly. He laid down next to me and moved his hand down my waist slowly.

I felt him unbutton the top of me jeans. I pulled away from him. "What are you-" His fingers slipped into my panties. I felt myself heating up. He smirked, covering my lips with his. His mouth swallowed my moan as he brushed his finger against my clit.

I laid back, closing my eyes. He slid one of his long fingers in me. I panted, letting him slide another finger in me. "You're so wet." He mumbled as he nibbled on my earlobe.

"Believe me, I kno- OH." I arched my back, grabbing the back of his head. His fingers curled up, and hit a sensitive spot.

"Shh.." He shushed me again, kissing down my neck. Troy's thumb rubbed against my clit as his fingers entered me rhythmically. My walls clinched around his fingers but he started slowing down. "I can't wait for tonight."

I let out a shaky breath. "You won't know what you've been missing." His lips dragged along my neck, sucking on the area below my ear. He pulled his fingers rubbed against my swollen bud quickly. His hardening length was pressing up against my thigh. I squeezed him outside of his jeans.

Troy's hips buckled against me. "Fuck babe." He said breathlessly.

My thighs started to shake with every stroke. The feeling started in the pit of my stomach. I pressed my lips against his as I continued to stroke him over his jeans. I let out a short gasp as I hit my climax. I panted when he pulled his lips away from mine. He slid his fingers out of me, bringing them up to his lips.

"I definitely need to change my pants now." I said breathlessly.

"I would suggest taking a shower together but it might look a little suspicious both of us coming out with damp hair." He kissed my neck gently.

"I'll be right back." I said, getting up. I walked to my drawer in his room and pulled out a pair of panties and pants. I walked in the bathroom and changed. I turned to go back but there was a dark hickey on my neck. I sighed. "Troy."

"What?" He asked as I walked out of the bathroom. I showed him the mark he left me. "Sorry." He said, placing a soft kiss on it.

I kissed his lips. "It's okay. Good thing I have good makeup. Or I could always say you hit me."

He rolled his eyes. "That's not funny."

I grinned at him, squeezing his butt. "I missed you."

Troy kissed my lips slowly. "I missed you too." He tried to pull away from me but I pulled him closer to me. My tongue brushed against his bottom lip slowly. He gently bit down on my tongue, pulling away.

"Troy! Are you up here?" We heard his Nana call him. There was a knock at the door. "Troy?"

"Yeah Nana, I'm up here." He said, I rested my head against his chest. I pulled away from him when he headed for the door. I laid on his bed and picked up the book I was reading. "Is there something wrong?" He asked when he opened the door.

"People were leaving and they didn't get the chance to say bye to you." Nana said. "What are y'all doing up here all alone?"

"We wanted to get away from all the noise for a little bit." Troy said, glancing back at me. I smiled at Troy and his grandma.

"Just making sure y'all were okay." Nana said with a slight smirk. "There's still a party going on, you know."

Troy laughed. "I know Nana, I'll be down in a minute."

Nana walked down the hallway and I turned back to my book. "You can do down, I'll be there when I finish this chapter." I said.

He walked over to me and kissed my forehead. "You're such a nerd, but I love you. I'll be down stairs."

"Okay." I said, watching him walk into the bathroom.

I made my way down stairs leaving my book on his bed. My mom was a little drunk. Cam wasn't coming to the party and she was being embarrassing so I decided to walk her home. I got her upstairs and laid her down on her bed. "Gabi, I love you." She said, tiredly.

"I love you too mom." I kissed her forehead.

"Hey Gab." Cam walked in. "She's sleeping already?"

"She's drunk." I said laughing a little bit. "Good luck, I'm going to bed."

"Goodnight."

"Night Cam." I closed the door behind me and I walked into my room.

* * *

The party was winding down when we left, only a couple people were there still. They were mainly his family. I locked my door and started taking off my clothes. I found my new push up bra and matching panties and I put them on, covered by one of Troy's t-shirts. I walked over to my bathroom, putting a little lip gloss on.

I laid down on my bed, waiting for Troy. He said he'd be over in less than a half hour. I couldn't wait to leave. Go on the road and drive anywhere I wanted to. I lived in more than half of the states already but there were some I wanted to visit and some towns I wanted to avoid- not like they'd remember me anyway. I closed my eyes, wrapping my arms around my pillow. There was a tapping on my balcony doors. I opened my eyes to see Troy walk in.

I sat up, pulling his shirt off. I threw it at him before laying back on my stomach. He grinned at me. "Got all dressed up for me?"

"You know it." I said, watching him shut the door and lock it. He walked over to my door and turned off the lights. He pulled off his pants and his shirt before he climbed into bed with me. The light coming in from the window was just enough to see around the room. "How was the rest of the party?"

"Baby, the whole party was boring… except the half hour in my room." He chuckled. He captured my lips in a soft kiss, moving his fingers down my back slowly. "You ass looks great in these." He commented, pulling at the underwear.

"I thought you'd appreciate it." I said, kissing his lips again. "Maybe you'll focus more on me this time."

He winced. "Sorry…"

I smiled at him, rolling onto my back. "Don't apologize. I was just teasing you." My fingers pried their way into his boxers. I brushed my fingertips against his hardening length before cupping his balls. I moved the heavy sac around in my hand. I kissed his chest gently before biting down on his nipple.

"Ah." He slightly squeaked. I rolled on top of him, pinning him down.

"You don't get to touch." I said, smiling at him. "Kiss me." He put his hands on my waist and sat up, kissing my lips slowly. I pushed him back down. "I said, no touching."

He groaned. "You tricked me."

I nodded. "Stay here." I ordered, rolling off him. I looked around the room and found a belt. I picked it up, climbing back on top of him. "Arms over your head."

"This is ridiculous babe." He protested. I leaned down, biting his nipple again. "Ow!"

I smirked, "Arms up. You don't want to be a bad boy, now do you?" I cooed at him. He reluctantly put his arms up. I pressed my stomach against his face. I tied his wrists together behind my headboard. I made sure it was nice and tight. I felt his tongue swirl around my belly button. I squeaked quietly. "I said no touching." I sat up, pinching his sensitive nipples.

He hissed, looking up at me. "Sorry."

"Sorry what?" I asked, toying with him.

"Sorry Gabi."

I twisted his nipples slightly. "Wrong answer."

"Sorry Baby." He panted.

I released his nipples. "Good boy." I said, leaning down, kissing his lips slowly. I ran my fingers through his hair. "I love you."

"I love you too baby." He mumbled against my lips.

"Mmm, I missed you." I hummed, flicking my tongue against his nipple. I sat up, pulling down his boxers slowly. "I think you missed me too." I squeezed the tip of his penis before letting it drop against his stomach. I pulled the boxers off, throwing them to the floor.

"You're so sexy baby." He said, his eyes glazing over my body.

I sighed. "I don't know. I haven't been working out a lot lately. I think I gained some weight."

He shook his head. "You didn't babe."

"Maybe it all went to my boobs." I put my hands on my boobs. I squeezed them lightly. I moaned teasingly, tossing my head back. He groaned in response. I sat back up and dropped my hands. I stroked his penis slowly, thinking. I dropped it again and got up. "Maybe it all went to my ass."

I bent over, pulling my panties off slowly. "Baby, you're perfect." He husked.

I kicked them off and sat down on his thighs backwards. I held onto his ankles. "We've never done it like this before." I turned my head back, smirking at him. "Great view of my ass, don't you think?" I ground my hips against his. "Too bad you can't touch."

He groaned. "Gabi, you're killing me."

I smiled, innocently. "Am I? I'm so sorry." I turned around. "I guess I shouldn't tease you anymore." I wrapped a hand around his erection and dropped a ball of spit right on the tip of it. I spread it around with the light touch of my pointer finger before I pumped my palm along his length. "We haven't fucked in so long I forgot how big you were." I said thoughtfully.

He moaned quietly, shutting his eyes. "Shit."

"I miss the way you'd fill me up. My tight heat pulsing around your hard dick." I smirked as he tugged on the belt around his hands.

"When I get this stupid belt off, I swear to god." He grumbled.

"What will you do?" I asked, thoughtfully. "Are you gonna fuck me or are we going to make love? Maybe both because baby…" I leaned down kissing his lips ever so lightly. "I don't want to sleep tonight." I lingered there, pressing my tits against his chest. "Is that okay with you?"

"That's more than okay." He said, still struggling with his hands.

I sat up, reaching behind my back to unclasp my bra. I tossed it off to the side, licking my lips. "Should I suck your dick because you fingered me earlier… or should I wait?" I asked myself. "Or should I make you beg for it?"

"You're really having fun, aren't you?" He asked me, smirking.

I nodded my head. "Oh yeah. I'm waiting for when you break out so you can man handle me." I giggled a little bit, running my hands back up his chest. "But it looks like I'm doing more of that." I pinched his nipples again. "You're like putty in my hands baby."

I reached over in my drawer for a condom. I plucked a couple out, setting them by my bed, just in case. I held one in my hands and I moved down to face his erection. I pressed the tip against his stomach and I swirled my tongue around his balls. I sucked on of them firmly. I dragged my tongue up the bottom side of his dick. I spit on him again, stroking him firmly. I moved my mouth around him, taking him deep in my mouth. I felt two hands on the back of my head pushing me down.

"Oh fuck, yes." He held me there for a second before letting me go. "Keep going." He ordered. I took a deep breath and he gripped my hair guiding me down on him. With every stroke he'd hit the back of my throat. He tugged on my hair, pulling me up. "Kiss me."

I climbed up on him, kissing my lips firmly. He rolled over, pinning me down. I wrapped my legs around his waist and he buried himself within me with one quick motion. "Oh fuck. Fuck me Troy."

"God you're so tight." He dropped his head against my shoulder, pausing for a moment. "I'm going to fuck you so hard, you're going to wake up the whole fucking neighborhood." He growled, biting my shoulder as he rammed into me again.

I couldn't even feel his teeth digging against my skin. All I could feel was his rough thrusts, sending me close to the edge. I clawed at his back, wanting more. "Fuck, harder Troy." I begged. His hands picked up my hips as he slammed into me quickly. "Fuck, fuck, fuck. Troy!" I moaned loudly as my walls convulsed around him.

He only pulled out for a second, to turn me over. Troy spanked my ass with a strong sting before entering me again before I had time to recover. "You like when I spank you?" I moaned in response. He spanked me again. I could feel the sting of his whole hand against the cheek of my ass.

"I love when you spank me baby." He grabbed a hold of my hair, pulling it so my head was tossed back. "Fuck, I love it even more when you pull my hair." I tried to steady myself as best as I could. He was making it so hard to keep my arms up.

"Fuck baby." He groaned, grabbing my ass before spanking me again. "I'm going to… fuck." He slowed down, groaning evenly spurting his seed with each thrust. He pulled out slowly and laid on my bed. I laid down next to him. I kissed his bicep gently.

I smiled up at him. "Now that is what I was talking about." I said, giggling at him.

"You're insatiable." He said, still breathing heavily.

"You shouldn't be complaining." I said, climbing onto his lap. I slid him in me easily as I rolled his nipples.

"That is so much better than pulling." He cupped my boobs as I moved myself on top of him slowly.

I smirked. "I had to motivate you somehow." I leaned down, kissing his lips softly.

* * *

**You know them, always slutting it up. Don't forget to review.**


	40. KO

The alarm clock rang in my room and I groaned. My whole body was sore. We fell asleep only three hours ago. We definitely didn't sleep last night. Troy and I were stuck together. I felt like we were covered in his cum. Gross. I pulled myself away from him.

"Hey, get up." I said, smacking his cheek.

"Fuck off Gabi." He growled turning over.

"We need to get in the shower. Your fucking semen is everywhere."

"Not my problem." He grumbled.

"Troy if you don't get up in two seconds I'm going to rip your fucking balls off." I said, sitting up. "One…." I cupped them firmly, yanking them slightly. "Don't make me count to two."

"Fine." He got up and pulled me into the bathroom. I turned the shower on and he stood under the water with his eyes closed. I turned the water cold and he jump, his eyes opening wide. "Cold!" He shrieked.

I giggled, turning it back to warm. I climbed in the shower with him. I smiled innocently. "Good morning." He just glared at me. I pulled him close to me, kissing his lips slowly. "I love you."

"I love you too." He said, smiling against my lips. I pulled away from him and started washing him with my loofa. He stood there with a goofy grin on his face. I grabbed some shampoo, scrubbing his hair. He moaned out. "Oh that feels good."

I giggled, pushing him under the water. "My turn."

"Hell no." He said, looking at me like I was crazy. I pouted at him, rubbing his chest slowly. He rolled his eyes. "fine." He cracked. I grinned. I held out my arms and he washed my body and my hair for me. We finished up in the shower and got dressed. We opened my window and cleaned up my bed. My room smelled like sex. Troy sprayed some air freshener and I put my sheets in the washer.

Troy took my bag down the stairs and I ran back up to get some last minute things. He was talking to mom and Cam while I gathered everything I needed. Troy left to go get his stuff and I cleaned out some junk from my car. My mom came out and stood by me.

"I packed some food for you on your first haul until you stop." She said. "I really want you to be safe Gabi. You are my everything and I don't know what I'd do if I lost you baby."

"Mom stop. I'm coming back, I promise." I said, standing up to face her. "I'm not going to be gone forever."

She sighed. "I know. I'm just worried about you is all."

"I'll be fine. I love you." I wrapped my arms around her. "I love you so much mom."

"I love you too baby." She hugged me tightly. "When are you taking off?"

"Whenever Troy gets back." I said. "Can you get Cam so I can say bye to him?"

She nodded and walked into the house. I made sure the car was clean and I had everything. I saw Troy walking out of his house. Cam came out and wrapped me up in a big hug. "We'll miss you Gabi." He said, squeezing me.

"I'll miss you guys too. Tell the boys I said I'll see them soon." I told Cam. "Take care of my mom for me."

He grinned. "Of course. I love you Gabi."

"Love you too Cam." He dropped a kiss on the top of my head and let me go.

I gave my mom another hug as Troy put his stuff in the trunk as well. She handed me a wad of cash and her credit card. "Emergencies only. Don't lose it." She said. "Be good. Call me if anything happens.

"I will mom. See you soon." I said. She stroked my face.

"See you soon." She said, nodding.

Troy said his goodbyes and I got in the drivers seat. I waved as I drove away. We pulled out a sandwich as we got out of town. I headed east towards Texas on the freeway. We rolled down the windows, letting the air breeze through my hair. We drove until I had to pee. I parked at a truck stop and peed quickly. Troy and I switched so he was driving.

* * *

By the time we made it to Oklahoma it was about four in the afternoon. We took a break from driving and stretched our legs out. We figured we'd drive down to Dallas and stay the night there. We got in the car and headed south for Dallas. It took us four and a half hours to get to Dallas due to traffic.

We ate dinner and found a room at a nice hotel for the night. We grabbed some clothes to change into and headed up to our room. We were going to get an early start tomorrow. It was nine when we climbed into bed. I was exhausted. We drove 11 hours on three hours of sleep.

Troy curled into the bed next to me. "What are you thinking for tomorrow?" He asked me.

"New Orleans. I looked it up on my phone. It takes about seven hours, plus or minus for traffic." I said, cuddling up next to Troy. I texted my mom to tell her where we were. "We can stay there for a couple of hours then make our way to Miami."

"That sounds good." He murmured tiredly. I leaned over kissing his lips. "Goodnight baby."

"Night Troy." I said, pulling up the blankets over us.

We slept in and got some food and drove down to New Orleans. We parked in the city and walked around town. It was a gorgeous city. It was really hot though. We slipped into a restaurant to eat. We took a seat and I took a breath, taking it all in. I was having a great time, even if we were stuck in the car most of the time.

"Thank you for doing this with me." Troy said as we took a seat to eat.

"This is so much better than I expected. But then again it's only day two." I said, smiling.

"We're going to stay in Florida for a while right?" He asked me.

I nodded. "We are going to party our fucking asses off." I said, grinning.

He grinned. "I can't wait."

* * *

After lunch we hopped back in the car and drove through the night to Miami. We stopped and got coffee and energy drinks. We were so hyped up, we weren't even tired. We checked into a hotel and took showers. We changed into bathing suits and went down to the beach.

I had two towels and a beach bag for our things. We lathered ourselves with sunscreen and I laid down to tan whole Troy headed towards the water. I stretched myself out and relaxed with the warm sand around me. I felt a ball hit my foot.

"OW." I said getting up.

"Sorry!" A guy ran over to me. He picked the ball up. "It slipped."

I laughed. "Wow, are all Florida boys butterfingers?"

The guy laughed. "Nah. I guess just me." He smiled sheepishly. "You from around here?"

"No." I said smirking. I saw Troy walking up behind the guy.

"Can I help you bro?" He asked, running his fingers through his hair.

He looked between the two of us. "Oh, no bro. I accidentally hit your girl with the ball."

Troy took a seat next to me. "Alright." He said, firmly.

"Hey, my friends and I are having a bonfire tonight if you guys wanna come." The guy said. "It's here at eight."

"Sweet. We'll think about it." Troy said. He held out his hand. "Troy."

"Matt." He grinned, shaking his hand.

"Gabi." I said, shaking his hand as well. "Nice to meet you Matt."

"Hey, I'll introduce you guys to my friends." Matt said, looking over at us.

I looked at Troy and he shrugged. "That sounds cool." I said. Troy helped me up and we followed Matt over to his friends. Troy walked with his arm around my waist. I gave him a quick kiss as we made our way over there. There were three girls and four guys.

"Hey guys, these are my new friends Troy and Gabi." Matt introduced. Troy waved and I smiled. "These are my friends. Allie, Heather, Adriana, Steven, Jose, Jake, and Brad."

"Hey," They all said.

Adriana and Steven were the only couple it looked like. Heather was eyeing Troy which I didn't like but I got over it because Matt, Jose and Brad were eyeing me. Troy seemed to have noticed because he tightened his grip on me.

"So Where are y'all from?" Allie said. She had a southern twang. "I'm from South Carolina, Matt is my cousin and I'm visiting for the summer."

"We're from Albuquerque, New Mexico." I said, looking up at Troy. "We're on a road trip before college?"

"Oh where are you going?" Steven asked.

"Stanford." I said.

"Cal Berkeley." Troy said.

"Damn, hot and smart." Brad muttered.

Matt smacked his head. "Not cool Bro."

Troy's body tensed. "We should get back." Troy said, sharply.

"Yeah, it was nice meeting you all."

"Hey, you too. Remember tonight at eight." Matt reminded us. "If you still wanna come."

"We'll think about it." I said. Troy and I started walking back. "The sand is hot. Carry me." I said, jumping on his back.

Troy chuckled, walking me back over to our stuff. He set me down in the sand and I pulled him on top of me. I giggled, kissing his lips slowly. "I love you." He grinned.

"I love you too babe." I said. "You look so hot when you're jealous."

"Those guys were eye-fucking you." He said, rolling off me. I rolled onto my back and looked over at him.

"Eye-fucking? I can't believe you just said that." I said, snorting.

He groaned. "It's true."

I rolled my eyes. "Those small dicks don't have anything on you baby." I smiled at him. "Now that Heather bitch was begging to get her teeth knocked out for even thinking about looking at you the way she did."

Troy laughed. "No fights babe. I don't want you to get arrested, okay?"

"No promises babe." I said, smiling at him. "It's getting warm, let's go to the water." I said, giving him a dirty grin.

He popped up and chased me out to the water. He tackled me, making me dive under the waves. I walked over to him, wrapping my legs around his waist. He walked us into deeper water. "You look so sexy babe." He kissed my lips firmly.

I pressed my lips down on his, parting my lips. He darted his tongue in my mouth for a small taste. He held me up by my ass. I ground my hips against his. I kissed his lips slowly, brushing my tongue against his. My hand slid down his chest, I rubbed his length outside of his swim trunks. "I want you." I purred in his ear after I pulled away.

"Not here. Later baby, promise." He said, kissing my neck.

"This warm water is not doing us any good." I said, smirking at him.

He chuckled, pulling away from my neck. "I agree."

"Fuck it's just hot everywhere." I said, sighing. "Can we lay in the air conditioning for a while?"

"That sounds great actually." He said, giving me a kiss.

I pulled away from him and splashed him. I swam away and he was following me. I got to the shore and ran over to our stuff. I turned around and Troy wasn't behind me. My eyes searched the pretty crowded beach for him. I finally spotted him with that Heather bitch. My eyes narrowed. I packed up our things, shaking out the towels.

I folded them up and waited for Troy to be finished. I poked out my hip. Right when I was about to walk over there, he started walking toward me. "You ready?" He asked with a grin.

"Yep." I said tightly. He grabbed my hand and we walked back to the hotel. "It's so hot." I said, fanning my face as we stepped into the air conditioned hotel. We went into the elevator and I pressed myself against the cool wall. "Feels so good."

Troy chuckled. "I need some water. I'm thirsty."

We got to our room and it was like a fridge in there. It felt so good. We each chugged a whole water bottle and I filled up the bathtub with freezing water. I sat in there with my bathing suit cooling myself down. I let out a sigh. I was starting to get hungry again. "Babe." I called out.

"Yeah?" He asked, walking in with his third bottle of water.

"I'm hungry." I said.

He climbed in the bathtub with me. "This is a great idea." He said, dunking his head under. "Oh yeah." He rested against me. I laughed, moving in front of him to sit on his lap. "We can go eat in a minute."

"Alright." I said, closing my eyes. "What was heather talking to you about?" I asked curiously.

"She dropped her ring and I found it in the sand." Troy said. I rolled my eyes. "Then she started talking and I said I had to go."

"She's eager." I said, laughing.

"What are you talking about?" He asked.

I shook my head. "She wants you. She wants to put your dick in her mouth." I said shrugging. "If she touches you than I am fully allowed to punch her in her face."

He chuckled. "Oh Gabi."

"I'm completely serious."

"Baby, you have nothing to worry about." He assured, stroking my bare stomach slowly.

"I know but I'm still going to punch her." I said, getting out of the water. "Come on, I'm hungry."

"Yes baby." He said, dunking his head once again, draining the water. I dried myself off and handed the towel over to him. I put some shorts on and a tank over my chest. I put my sandals on as Troy put on a shirt. He wrapped his arms around me, kissing my lips gently. "I love you, so much."

"I love you too." I said quietly.

"I love you more." He kissed my forehead then my lips. I gave him a small smile and shook my head at him.

* * *

We ate a late lunch and we walked around Miami for a little bit to scope out places to go. We stopped at another restaurant on the way back to the hotel. We went up to our room because we were going to pee before we went down to the bonfire. I grabbed a blanket and Troy grabbed his jacket.

We went down to the beach and found Matt. "Hey! You guys made it!"

"Yeah, we were bored so we thought we'd come down here and check it out." Troy said, shaking his hand.

"There's beers in the cooler if you want one and just have a good time." He said, grinning.

"Thanks Matt." I gave him a small grin. I turned to Troy.

"Do you want a drink?"

I nodded. "Please. I'm going to go find a place to sit."

He grinned and kissed my lips. "I'll be right back."

I found a place to set my blanket down and I took a seat on it, stretching my legs out. I felt the warmth of the fire, even if it wasn't that cold yet. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back. "Hey." I opened my eyes. "Want a beer?" One of Matt's friends asked me.

"No, thank you. My boyfriend is getting me one right now." I said, smiling politely.

"Right, Boyfriend." He said. He lingered for a moment. "So, how are you liking Florida?"

"It's hot and humid." I said, wrinkling my eyebrows. "But it is pretty."

He nodded. "Yeah. Have you driven down to Key West yet?"

I shook my head. "No, we just got here this morning." I said, looking over towards the coolers. I couldn't see Troy.

"Here you go Babe." I heard a voice from my other side of me. I looked up to see Troy, he handed me a beer. "Jose, right?"

The guy nodded. "Yeah."

"We were talking about Key West. We should drive down there while we're here." I said, looking over at my boyfriend. He opened my beer for me and handed me the can.

"It's a pretty cool place." Jose said. "Like 90 miles away from Cuba or something like that."

I gave him a tight smile. "Jose, man!" Somebody walked by and stole his attention.

"These Florida people have definitely been in the sun too long. They don't know when to lay off." He said, sipping his beer.

"You're telling me." I took a big swig myself. I didn't really like beer but it would do for now.

"Hi Troy!" Heather said as she walked by.

I laughed. "Pathetic."

"Don't be mean Gabi." He said, kissing my shoulder.

"Obviously you have been asleep for the past five months." I said, taking another drink.

"Hey Troy." Matt waved him over.

Troy looked at me. "You don't have to ask permission, Go." I said laughing. He got up and walked over to the guys.

The three girls rushed over to the space where Troy was sitting. "So we want to get to know you better." Adriana said, smiling.

"Okay." I said wearily.

"How long have you and Troy been together?" Allie asked me. I could tell she was really genuine.

"Five months." I said. "We got together when I moved to Albuquerque."

Adriana tilted her head. "Where did you live before?"

I looked at the girls. Heather looked bored. Fuck that bitch. "Everywhere, literally."

"So is Troy any good in bed?" Heather asked with a smirk.

"God Heather, shut up." Adriana said.

Allie giggled quietly. "What? You would have said the same thing a year ago before you met Steven." Heather said.

"Anyway." Adriana rolled her eyes. "How long are you in Florida for?"

I shrugged. "A couple of days. We're making our way up the coast."

"That sounds like so much fun." Allie said. I sipped my beer. "I wish I could do that."

"We should." Heather said smirking.

"Yeah right, like your mom would ever let you leave the county." Adriana snorted.

Heather rolled her eyes. "She doesn't have to know."

I watched them bicker back and forth. They reminded me of Sharpay and I. I kind of missed Sharpay. She was so pissed when I didn't invite her to come with us. She got to go to Europe instead. I took another drink of my beer. My eyes drifted over to Troy. He was looked at me, but nodding along to something Steven, I think, was saying. I smiled at him. He grinned at me.

"I have something to liven up the party." Heather sang. "Matt! It's time!" She called out.

The boys walked over and we all stood up. Troy wrapped his arms around me. "What's going on?" He asked, kissing my shoulder.

I shrugged. "Not completely sure." I said, looking back at him.

Heather pulled out a baggy of pills and Matt pulled out a bag of weed. "Roll that shit up man." Jake said.

I just looked over a Troy. "Do you want to go back to the room?" He asked me.

"I haven't finished my beer yet." I said, taking another drink.

"Gabi, Troy. You want one?" Heather asked, holding out two pills.

I shook my head. "No thanks."

Heather rolled her eyes. "Come on Troy, you won't be a party pooper, will you?"

"No, Thank you. Heather." He said, grinning at her.

She shrugged and popped both of the pills in her mouth. "I kind of want to watch what they do to her." I admitted quietly.

Suddenly the smell of marijuana filled the air. "You want a hit." Jose asked me.

I shrugged, taking a hit. I passed it up to Troy, who just passed it on. I took another drink but my beer was empty. "Baby, can you get me another one?" I asked him, handing him the can.

"Sure thing baby." Troy took my can and walked over to the coolers.

The joint got passed around and I took a few more hits before passing it off. Troy came back right as they passed it to me again. I took a big hit and kept the smoke in my mouth. I passed the joint on as I kissed Troy. I parted my lips, letting the smoke roll in his mouth. He held my hips and brushed his tongue against mine.

I smiled lazily as I licked his lips when he pulled away from me. He handed me my beer and I popped it open, taking a drink. I felt like everything was moving fast and slow at the same time. I was on my fourth beer. Somebody turned on some music and I was dancing on Troy. He stopped drinking at three and I hadn't smoked anymore.

"Troy. I have to pee." I said, pulling away from him.

"Where are you going to pee?" He asked me.

I took off my shorts and handed them to him. "The water!" I said, blinking my eyes slowly. I walked over to the water, going in just up to the top of my thighs. It was super dark. They couldn't see me and I could see them all mingling around the fire.

I walked out of the water and got stopped by Brad. "Hey beautiful."

"Hey Bruce." I said, looking over his shoulder for Troy.

"What do you like to do for fun?" He asked, touching my hair.

I smacked his hand away. "I read."

He chuckled. "Yeah right. You look like you have a dancers body."

I saw Troy with Heather who was hanging all over him. I felt everything just set on fire. I was suddenly so pissed off. I was looking for a fight and I knew just where to get one. "I'm a boxer." I said dryly to the boy in front of me.

"You? A boxer?" He asked.

"Excuse me." I said, pushing past him. I walked over to Troy and the bitch that was hanging all over him. "Look whore, he doesn't want you. Leave him alone and go back to fucking which ever friend you were before okay?"

"Gabi.." Troy said, his voice was in a warning tone.

"Who the fuck are you? Some trashy slut. He'll get bored with you. Baby, whenever you come to your senses, call me. I'll give you everything she doesn't." She turned to walk away.

I snapped. I yanked her back and my fist collided with her jaw. She fell over and people rushed over to her. Troy picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. "What the fuck!" Matt cried, nursing to Heather on the ground.

"I'm sorry bro." Troy said.

I started kicking. "Let go of me." I pounded my fists on his butt.

"Just Get her out of here." Matt said. That was the last thing I heard before I blacked out.

* * *

**Oh Gabi... She just love punching people. I know the first part of the road trip was kind of fast. Sorry about that. Don't forget to review.**


	41. Trouble

I woke up with the strong urge to puke. I rolled off of the bed and crawled over to the garbage before I puked in the closest garbage can. My stomach clenched and I threw up a few more times after. I felt Troy rubbing my back. He was saying things but I couldn't really hear them. I collapsed on the floor when the urge to puke was over.

"Gabriella, get up." Troy said. He sounded pissed off. I've never heard him like this before. "Now."

I moaned, holding my head. "No." I whined.

"Gabriella. I said NOW." Troy said firmly. God, what the hell did I do to piss him off so bad? I felt two arms lift me up. He set me down in the bath tub and pulled my bikini off. He turned on the freezing cold water.

I held my hand out trying to block it from me. I was too tired and too sick to scream or at least yelp. I started shivering, curling myself into a ball. I felt myself start to wake up more. "Stop, stop please." I begged, feeling a strong urge to cry.

Troy turned off the water. "Get up."

"No." I said, shivering. My whole body was covered in goose bumps.

"Come on, get up now and I'll let you go back to bed."

I sighed. "Fine." I stood up and he turned the shower to warm again. He closed the curtain, leaving me in there. My head started to pound. I felt like it was about to explode. I rubbed my face, finishing up my shower. I got out of the shower and wrapped myself in a towel. I was still freezing. I saw some of my clothes on the counter waiting for me.

I dried myself off and put my clothes on. I walked out of the bathroom and went back into bed. Troy was nowhere in sight. The room faintly smelled like puke so he probably cleaned that up. I covered myself up in my blankets, closing my eyes.

The door opened and closed. "Gabi." He sighed tiredly. I didn't reply. I laid there, still. If I moved it made my head ache worse. "Come on Gabi, sit up. I have something for you."

I sat up slowly. I didn't feel nauseous anymore, which was good. He handed me two pills and a Gatorade. I took the pills and took a long drink of Gatorade. He let me take another drink before he switched the Gatorade out for water. "So tired." I said, quietly.

"Lay down, okay?"

I laid down, closing my eyes. "Do you still love me?" I asked.

He sighed. "Yes, I still love you. Go to sleep."

"Will you come lay with me?" I asked him, reaching out one hand to feel for him.

"No, I'm going to get some breakfast. You go back to sleep, okay?" He said. He leaned down and kissed my forehead. "I love you, get some rest."

I nodded incoherently, letting myself drift into sleep. I woke up again with a pain in my hand. I wiggled my fingers around and lifted up my right hand. My whole hand was swollen. I looked at my left hand, it was fine. I sighed and ran my left hand down my face.

I sat up and picked up my phone. I dialed my moms number. "Hello?" She answered after the first ring.

I sighed. "Hey mom."

"Hey baby, how's the road?"

"We went to this bonfire thing last night. I got drunk." I said. "My hand is bruised pretty badly. Mom. I have no idea what happened."

She sighed. "You know I don't like you drinking. Especially if you're in a state with just Troy there but I'm glad you told me. Where is Troy? He didn't tell you anything?"

"No, I got up this morning, puked my guts out and he put me in the shower in freezing water for like 20 minutes. Then he gave me some aspirin and I fell asleep while he went to go get breakfast or something. He's not back yet." I said. "I did something to piss him off."

"You have to talk to him when he gets back babe. You don't want the rest of the trip to be awkward." She said.

"I know. I'll have to wait until he gets back-" I stopped talking when I heard the door close. "He's here, I'll talk to you tomorrow mom."

"Okay baby. I love you. Be safe." She told me.

"Love you too Mom, bye." I said, my eyes focused on Troy who walked in. I hung up and Troy took a seat on the bed. "How long was I out for?" I asked, leaning back.

"Three-ish hours." He said, glancing at the time. "I just got back from the hospital."

I furrowed my eyebrows at him. "Why were you at the hospital?"

He sighed. "Let's see. You got drunk last night, left to pee in the ocean. You were talking somebody and Heather came up to talk to me. You thought it would be okay to come up to her and punch her in the face." I winced. "Yeah. You dislocated her jaw and knocked her out. You're lucky she's not pressing charges against you."

I felt the urge to puke again but I choked it down this time. I didn't know what to say. I slid back down in my bed. "That explains why my hand is swollen." I said, holding up my hand.

"Babe, you're a professional boxer. You can't just go around punching people." He said, touching my hand. I shut my eyes.

"Can you wrap it up for me?" I asked, opening my eyes again.

"Do you have a wrap?" I nodded, pointing to my bag. Troy got up and he wrapped my hand carefully before he climbed into bed with me.

"Are you still mad?" I asked, resting my hand on his chest.

"A little bit." He said, kissing my cheek. "I just didn't want you to get arrested on the third day of our road trip."

"I'm sorry." I said, closing my eyes. "I hate seeing other girls hang all over you. I guess drinking makes me more insecure I guess."

He wrapped his arms around me, rubbing my back. "I just need you to know that I love you, only you."

"You've been telling me all weekend but I'm still a girl. I feel like I just got you back and I don't want to be without you again." I admitted quietly. "You know how I get sometimes."

"Baby, it's fine. You should get some more rest. I'm not going anywhere, okay?"

I nodded. "Okay." I said quietly.

I felt well enough to eat dinner. After dinner I got some flowers and a gift card for some ice cream for Heather. I kind of felt really bad I dislocated her jaw. Troy told me he had got her address from Matt so I can go apologize to her. I felt really nervous when we pulled up to the house. I had to get over it. I wanted to leave tomorrow morning, drive up somewhere new.

We got out of the car and walked up to the door. Adriana answered the door. She narrowed her eyes a little at me but invited us in. She lead us into Heathers room where all their friends were sitting. Heather was laying in the bed like I fucking broke her spine. She was definitely milking it.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, glaring at me.

"I wanted to apologize for punching you in the face." I said.

Jose and Brad snickered. "She did tell me she was a boxer. I guess I believe you now." Brad said, smirking.

I chose to ignore him. "These are for you." I handed her the flowers. "I hope your jaw heals nicely."

"Thanks." She said, looking at the gift card.

"Is your hand okay?" Allie asked.

I shrugged. "It's just a little bruised. I'll live."

"You are so bad ass Gabi." Jose said, eyeing me.

"Jose. You can go take your Cuban ass outside if you're going to be a fucking idiot." Heather said.

I looked over at Troy. "We should get going." I said.

"Yeah, were heading out tomorrow." Troy told them.

"Maybe well see each other again one day." Matt said. "It was nice to meet you both."

"Yeah, you too." I said, tugging on Troy's arm gently.

"Bye, feel better Heather." Troy said.

"Thanks Troy." She said with half a smile.

Troy and I walked out of the house and I jumped into the car. "That was so awkward."

"Well you punched her in the face." Troy said.

"She was being a bitch. I don't put up with that shit. You should know by now that I don't do fake bitches. I hate fake. If you want to be with someone fake then you shouldn't be with me." I said, stepping on the gas.

"Hey, why are you mad at me?" He asked.

"Because you're making me look like a bad guy. She was being rude and I know I shouldn't have hit her but she should have the common courtesy to not hit on you in front of me. More importantly, you shouldn't let her." I said, speeding back to the hotel.

"I wasn't letting her do anything! She was just talking. I told her to back off when she started touching me."

"We just need to get the fuck out of here." I said, parking in the parking lot. I cut the engine and slammed the door. I locked the car and walked into the hotel. I didn't bother waiting for Troy. I ran up the stairs to our floor and opened the room with my key. I sat on the couch in the room with a pillow over my face.

* * *

Troy carried our things down. I double checked to make sure we had everything. I walked to the front desk and checked out. Troy had already pulled my car around when I walked out. I turned up the radio, not saying a word to him when I got in. He pulled over to get gas and check the oil.

Nine hours later Troy and I were in Charleston, South Carolina. We decided to stay in a little bed and breakfast on the beach. We were going to spend the night here before driving up to Myrtle Beach, in the early morning.

Our little room had a deck. It reminded me of the balcony at home. Troy was getting the rest of our things from the car, while I stared out into the ocean. It suddenly started pouring rain. I smiled a little to myself. It reminded me of The Notebook. I wasn't much for romance movies but that one was every girls guilty pleasure. I opened up the doors to the deck and stepped outside.

I smiled as the cool rain hit my body. I closed the doors so the room wouldn't get that wet. I stood out on the deck. I held the rail and tilted my head back. I took a deep breath I felt a little better. I've felt way more relaxed since we've actually left Albuquerque. The smile never left my face as the summer rain drenched me.

"What the hell are you doing out here?" Troy asked, standing in the doorway.

I turned to him and smiled. "Nothing."

A small smile grew on his face. He walked over to me and wrapped his arms around me. "I'm sorry." He said, leaning his forehead against mine.

"I'm sorry too." I said, pressing a quick kiss to his cold lips. "None of it matters. All that matters is me and you." I said, giving him another kiss.

He pushed back my wet hair before cupping my face. "I love you."

"I love you too. I'd punch someone in the face for you." I said, with a wide grin.

Troy chuckled. "I bet my mom laughed when she watched us in heaven."

"She probably did." I said, looking up at the sky. Troy kissed my throat gently. "I miss her."

"Me too." He said with a calm smile. I pointed up to the sky and there was a crack of thunder. Troy chuckled. "That's her alright."

I giggled. "Let's go inside."

He spun me around before he took me inside. He closed the doors behind us. He turned around and I connected my lips to his. I peeled the wet shirt off his body. I grinned at him, brushing my cold fingers down his chest. Troy did the same to me and unhooked my bra. He bit his bottom lip, circling his fingers around my hardened nipples.

I smiled at him, kissing his lips slowly. His lips trailed down to my neck as I pulled off his wet jeans. He kicked off his shoes. "You are so beautiful." He mumbled, dropping warm kisses along my shoulder.

I pressed my hips against his. He was hard and ready against his damp boxers. I pulled his boxers down and he stepped out of them. Troy took his time, pulling my jeans and panties down my legs. He stood back up and we looked at each other for a minute.

He slid his arms around my waist, lifting me up. I kissed his lips firmly. "Make love to me." I mumbled against his lips.

He let out a low groan as he laid me on the bed. He nibbled down my neck and I wrapped my legs around him. He gave two swift licks to my nipples before he connected his lips to mine again. He positioned himself on top of me. He sank himself into me slowly.

I brushed my tongue against his as he filled me completely. Curse words tumbled out of his mouth as he dropped his head to my shoulder. I tightened the grip of my legs around him. I wanted him as close to me as possible. I dug my nails into his back as he pushed his hips against me.

"Yes, Troy." I exhaled. I tossed my head back and he sucked along my neck slowly.

I was already so close. I guess my anger lead to sexual frustration. Troy panted against my neck and I bit my lip. I guess I wasn't the only one as well. "I love you so much." He said before letting out a low growl. I squeezed my walls around him, unleashing both of our orgasms.

He rolled off me and I laid there for a minute, recovering. I unwrapped my right hand and pushed my hair back. It felt much better than it did a couple days ago. I flexed my hand and it only hurt a little bit. I rolled over and cuddled against Troy. He was already snoring softly. I grinned at him. He was such a boy. I kissed the corner of his moth and I went to the bathroom quickly. I got back in bed and cuddled against him.

Whenever people asked me where I saw myself in five years, I'd always say, still in college, getting my masters. There was never one person I imagined being by my side. I never thought I would get married or have kids because I was deathly terrified of getting hurt. But everything changed.

I never thought in a million years I'd be the way I was now. I made up with my dad, had a boyfriend, had friends and a home. I am so much happier than I have ever been. For as long as I can remember, I've always had a chip on my shoulder. Now I'm free, literally free of all the burdens and I am so happy.

Troy rolled over and wrapped his arms around me. I looked over at the rain hitting the window. I smiled, in content. I really didn't have anything to be jealous about. Troy loved me. He was on this road trip with me. He was going to California with me. He loves me.

* * *

"Get up! Breakfast smells amazing and I'm hungry!" Troy said, rather loudly in my ear.

I jumped a little bit. He startled me. "Alright." I said, sighing. Once I opened my eyes the sun shined right in my eyes. I groaned, rolling over to face Troy.

"Let's go babe." He said, kissing my lips quickly.

"You're in a good mood." I said smiling at him.

"Well I do have the most beautiful girl in my arms." He mumbled, kissing me again.

I smiled at him. "I love you baby."

"I love you more." He said, kissing my lips slowly. "I'm hungry."

I laughed. "Let me get dressed, okay?"

He nodded, moving away from me. He pulled a shirt over his head. I put on some clothes and threw my hair into the bun. We walked down stairs and ate breakfast with a nice couple from Washington state. After we ate breakfast we packed our things. Troy took our things down and I paid the owners. Troy drove us up to Myrtle Beach.

We found a place to stay and took our things up to the room. We changed into our bathing suits and drove down to the beach. I grabbed my bag and we walked down to the beach. It was way less crowded than the beach in Miami. It was cooler than Florida too. I stepped in the cool water and it was cold.

I walked back out of the water and took a seat in the sand. I laid back. "Baby." Troy said, looking at me.

I opened my eyes. "Yeah?"

"Come on." He said grinning. He held his hands out.

I put my bag on my towel and let him pull me up. "Where are we going?"

"Just walking along the beach." He said, kissing my neck.

"I like this beach better than Florida." I said, leaning into him.

"Me too." Troy said, looking at me. "You look so beautiful today."

I grinned. "You're more beautiful."

He chuckled. "You're too much." Troy reached down and squeezed my butt. I squealed and smacked his chest.

"Stop it!" I said, smirking. "Save it for later."

He growled, picking me up. "Will do." He threw me over my shoulder, spanking my ass.

"Troy, put me down." I spanked him back.

"Fine." He grinned, setting me down. He took off, running away from me. I watched in amusement as he climbed up a giant rock. He hit his fists on his chest like a monkey. I burst out laughing.

"You're so embarrassing, Troy." I said smirking at him.

"What?!" He yelled at me. "I can't hear you, Gabriella! I'm on top of the world!" He yelled out again.

I shook my head at him. "You're so weird!" I yelled up at him.

"I love you, Gabriella Montez!" He jumped off the rock, landing on his feet a couple feet in front of me.

"God, what did they put in your breakfast?" I asked him, smirking.

Troy chuckled, leaning in to kiss my lips firmly. "Not enough of you." He said, kissing my lips hungrily.

I smiled against his lips. I pulled him closer against me. "You're so crazy, Troy."

"Crazy about you." He said, nibbling on my bottom lip. "Can we have sex on the beach?" He whispered against my lips.

"Depends how fast you can finish." I said, pulling away from him.

Troy stood up quickly. He looked around. He spotted a secluded area. He dragged me over and laid down. "Get on top." He said, lowering his swim trunks just enough for his erection to pop out.

I smirked at him. "That was quick." I said, stroking him quickly. I moved my bottoms off to the side and sank down on top of him. It was kind of thrilling to do it in public. I bounced on top of him quickly. My hands planted on his chest.

"Oh fuck, this is so awesome." He said, throwing his head back. I smirked, rocking my hips slowly against him. I leaned down and kissed his lips firmly. "You're so hot." He said, slipping his thumbs under my bikini top.

"Hey! You can't be doing that here!" Somebody yelled.

I sat up quickly. I looked over to see some guy walking his dog pretty far away. "Oh shit!" I got off him and fixed myself before taking off running down the beach. Troy got up and did the same chasing me back to our things. I grabbed my towel and my bag and we ran into the car. "Hurry up! Go!" I told Troy who just hopped in the car.

"Sorry! It's hard to run with a boner." He protested. He started the car and drove back to the hotel quickly.

* * *

**Always getting into trouble. *shakes head*I Happy thursday guys. My break is sadly wrapping up. :( I don't wanna go back, but it's my last quarter. I have to stick it out for the next three months... then life starts... how scary. I'll see y'all tomorrow. Don't forget to review**


	42. Jersey

"How do you always get me in trouble?" Troy asked, sipping his soda at dinner.

I scoffed. "What the hell are you talking about? That was your idea Troy Bolton."

"Yeah, but you went along with it." He argued.

I shook my head at him. "Just no."

"What?" Troy said chuckling.

I just held my hand up. "You can't win this Troy, it was your idea. Now we can't even go back to the beach."

"It's not my fault we got caught."

I laughed. "Troy, it was your idea!"

"Are you ready to order?" The waitress asked us.

"Yes. Can I get the baked chicken with vegetables?" I said, looking up at the girl.

"Sure thing, you?"

"Uh, cheeseburger?" He said, handing her our menus. "Thank you."

"I'll be back." She said with a polite grin.

"You do know that all you've eaten was cheeseburgers since we left." I said, laughing.

He shrugged. "I want to know which state has the best burgers."

"I can't believe we've been gone for almost a week now." I said, looking over at him. "It feels like we just left yesterday."

"That's because you blocked out memories of driving and punching girls in the face." Troy said with a smirk.

"You're never going to let that go, are you?"

He shook his head and grinned. "Nope." He popped the 'P.'

I sighed. "At least it's funny now." I said shrugging.

He chuckled. "It is. God, you knocked her out. It reminded me of your first match that I saw in Vegas. You knocked that girl out in the third round. That was so sexy." He said, sipping his soda again.

"I was so pissed off." I said, swirling my water with my straw.

"Cause of your dad, I remember. Then we fucked in the hotel for four hours without a break." Troy said chuckling.

I grinned. "That was a good night. You know, until I left, and thought my mom was fucking dad again. Then I left." I said shrugging.

"You could have stayed with me." Troy said.

"Yeah right. Your dad would have flipped." I said, taking a drink of water.

He shook his head. "No. Dad loves you, even then."

"We have only known each other for like a week." I said. "I don't know why you're arguing with me Troy."

He smirked. "Because you're hot when you're mad." I rolled my eyes at him. I kicked his shin gently. "You did not just kick me." He said, glaring at me.

I smirked at him. "I think I just did."

"What is next on our road trip adventure?" He asked me.

I shrugged. "We can keep driving until we find something interesting to do. We look at nerdy historical stuff or we can just beach hop like we've been doing until we get to New Jersey, at least." I said, looking at him.

"What's in Jersey?"

"The Jersey shore." I said, laughing.

"What? Are we going to fist pump all night?" He asked, raising his eyebrow.

I shook my head. "No, to go on the boardwalk. Duh."

Troy rubbed my leg with his foot slowly. "We can do whatever you want to baby."

I smiled. "Good."

"I love you." He reached over to take my hand.

"I love you too." I squeezed his hand. "What do you think College is going to be like?"

Troy shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea."

"I hope it isn't that overwhelming. I know it's going to be hard and I know it's going to be stressful but I hope it just doesn't consume me. You know what I mean?" I asked him.

He nodded, his eyes looking down. "I guess we'll have to wait and find out." He said quietly.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked him, playing with his fingers.

He shook his head. "Nothing, just thinking." He said. "The future is terrifying."

I nodded. "It sure is." Troy kissed the palm of my hand and he let my hand go when the food came.

We ate our food and we went back to the hotel for the night. We needed some sleep if we were going to leave early in the morning. I thought about where to go next. Where would be a good place to go? Troy was sleeping beside me. I wondered where life was going to take us. Troy was right. The future was terrifying.

* * *

_"I had a dream last night_  
_We drove out to see Las Vegas_  
_We lost ourselves in the bright lights_  
_I wish you could have seen us"_

I sang loudly to the song that just came on the radio. We just passed through North Carolina. We stopped for a little bit to just look around. We were back on the road now; we haven't decided where we wanted to end up. I spaced out for a minute trying to look through my iPod for a new song. I looked up and saw that we were now leaving Virginia.

"Troy, babe, I have to pee so bad." I said, crossing my legs.

"I think there is something coming up." He said, looking over at me. "I think we should go to The capital. You know to fill our lives with history."

I laughed. "Whatever you want to do. I just need to pee."

"Yes, ma'am." He said chuckling. I closed my eyes, trying not to pee in my car. I looked out the window and Troy was turning into a McDonalds parking lot.

"Oh thank you sweet Jesus." I said, getting out of the car. I ran to the bathroom and did my business. I came back out to Troy and he was standing in line waiting for me. "So this is our healthy early dinner."

"They have salads." Troy said shrugging.

"Are we in Maryland?" I asked him. "I lived here once. Well probably not here exactly but in Maryland."

Troy nodded. "How long?"

"Not very long, a couple months maybe." I said shrugging.

"Oh." Troy pulled me over and wrapped me up in his arms. He kissed the back of my neck. "I love you."

"And I love you." I said, leaning my head against him.

Troy kissed the top of my head. We decided to drive through the drive thru instead. We continued our journey into our Nations Capital. Troy found us a hotel and we stayed there for the night. We spent the next day being tourists. We took pictures of and with everything. We visited a museum but we couldn't get near the White House.

We were anxious to get back on the road by the time we got back to the hotel. We were restless. I couldn't sit down. I wasn't tired. Troy was watching me pace around the hotel room. He was apparently amused by me. He didn't sat anything really.

"Gabi, can you stop?" I guess I spoke too soon.

"Can we go? I'll drive, you can sleep." I said, sighing.

"We walked around all day, how are you not tired?" He asked me.

I shrugged. "I don't know. I'm bored. I just want to go."

"Can I take a shower first?" He asked.

I grinned. "I'll start packing."

* * *

"We're at the Jersey Shore!" I said, excitedly as we pulled up to the boardwalk. It was crawling with people. "Do I look like a guidette?" I asked him, shaking my hair.

"You're nowhere near orange enough baby." Troy said, kissing the side of my head. "Come on, this place looks pretty cool."

I grinned and got out of the car. I stretched out. I was wearing just a bikini top and some shorts and sandals. We got to the hotel and changed quickly before we headed down to the shore. We drove all night and ate breakfast before we stopped at the hotel. Troy slept the whole way here. I was still excited and ready to go.

I walked over to the car and put my phone in my pocket and put some money in Troy's wallet before putting it in his pocket. Troy wrapped his arms around my shoulder. "If we don't get into any trouble then we should stay here for a while."

"You mean if you don't get in trouble." He said.

I pushed him. "We." I scoffed at him.

Troy chuckled, wrapping his arms around me. "I'm just teasing you baby." He kissed the back of my neck. "We can still try that sex on the beach thing…" Troy said.

I laughed. "Hell no. Not until you buy me a private beach."

He laughed. "Alright babe." He kissed the side of my head.

We took a walk along the beach before we came back to ride the roller coasters. We had such a great time. I was so exhausted and I was about to fall asleep during dinner. Troy had to carry me from the elevator to our room. It felt so good to sleep for how ever long I did since I stayed up for a more than 24 hours.

I was woken up by my phone ringing. "Hello?" I asked tiredly.

"Hi baby." I heard my mom say.

I looked over at Troy who was still passed out. I covered my mouth and yawned. "What's up mama?" I asked, laying my face back on my pillow.

"just checking in. I haven't heard much from you in a while. I miss you." She said.

I smiled. "I miss you too Mom. We're in Jersey now, on the shore."

"Are you getting all spray tanned and showing your cuca?"

I burst out laughing, startling Troy. "Oh god mom, no. Please don't say that. We've been riding all the roller coasters. It's really fun. We're going to be staying for a while."

"It feels like you've been gone forever." She said, I could hear her frown.

"I know. It's been really fun though. It's been what? Eight days." I licked my lips. "I think we're going to spend a while in New York. Drove up to Maine and stay in a cabin in the woods."

"Be safe." She warned me.

I nodded. "I know. I'll let you know what's going on."

"Oh! Cam want's to talk to you." I heard Mom say.

"Let me talk to him." I said.

"Hey Gabi-girl!" Cam said.

I smiled. "Hey Cam!"

"How's life on the road?" He asked, grinning.

"So much fun. Well other then getting drunk and punching a girl in the face. But it's been fun." Cam burst out laughing in my ear. "I'm guessing Mom already told you about that?"

"Yes." He said, in between chuckles. "And I laughed just as hard then." I shook my head, laughing.

"Anything new?" I asked him.

"No, not really. Do you know when you're going to be back?" He asked me.

I took a breath. "Maybe in another week or two. I'm not sure yet."

"Alright, because I have something I want to do with you when you get back." He said.

I raised my eyebrows. "And what is that?"

"You'll have to wait to find out." I could hear him smirking. "We miss you out here. The boys are with their mom still, we have nobody to keep us busy."

I laughed. "I'm sure you guys keep each other busy."

"Gabriella." My mother scolded.

I laughed. "Troy just woke up so we're going to go have lunch." I said.

Mom laughed at us. "okay. Call me soon."

"Will do. We love you guys." I said, rolling over to look at Troy. He was looking at me.

"We love you too. Have fun." Cam said.

I hung up the phone. "Can we go back to sleep?" I asked him.

He nodded, pulling me against him. "I'm so tired still."

"Me too. This bed is amazing." I said, cuddling against his chest.

"Love you babe."

"Love you. Goodnight."

He yawned. "Night."

* * *

We went down to the boardwalk after a late lunch. We stood in line behind a group of people for a rollercoaster. I leaned against him, kissing his lips slowly. Troy grinned at me, rubbing my waist. He pressed his lips against my forehead. I bit my bottom lip and pressed my palms against his stomach, under his shirt.

"I think we should do something tonight." I said, sighing. "Find a party or something."

"You guys wanna go to a party?" One of the boys in front of us asked.

I looked at the guy then at Troy. "Uh, we're thinking about it." Troy said.

"I'm throwing a huge party at my house tonight. You can come if you want. My neighbors are pretty cool so they won't call the cops or something." He said. "Zach."

"Troy."

"Gabriella."

He nodded. "Cool." He handed me a piece of paper. "Here's the address, girls get in free. Five buck admission, sorry bro."

Troy nodded. "No problem. We'll see if we make it or not."

"Hey, bring a bottle you can get in for free!" One of his friends said.

Zach chuckled. "Or that too, but I'm sure that'll cost more than five dollars."

Troy chuckled a little bit. "You're up bro." He said, pointing in front of him.

"See ya." He said, walking onto the entrance with his friends.

"Can we go?" I asked, grinning at him.

Troy looked uneasy. "I don't know."

"I won't punch anybody in the face, I promise." I said, giving him an innocent grin.

Troy laughed. "For the record, you said that last time too."

"Come on Troy. Live a little." I said, scratching his abdomen.

He sighed. "Fine we can go." I grinned. "You should wear that dress that I like." He said, leaning over to kiss my lips.

I smirked. "I know just what to wear. You won't be able to take your hands off me."

Troy matched my smirk. "Promise?" He asked against my lips. I nodded, grinning. I kissed his lips firmly then pulled away to get on the roller coaster.

I pulled down my short dress, letting my curls fall against my shoulder. My curls were already along my shoulders. I smiled at myself. I missed my brown hair. I'm glad it's back to it's natural color. I smoothed some red lipstick across my lips. I popped them and put some finishing touches on my mascara. I pulled on my red heels.

I walked out of the bathroom and Troy was rolling up his sleeves on his flannel. I bit my bottom lip and tilted my head, watching him. "You look hot."

He turned around and his jaw dropped a little bit. His eyes scanned my body slowly. He smirked. "You look… wow." He let out a breath.

I made my way over to him and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. "Are we ready, handsome?"

Troy grinned, nodding. "Hell yeah. I can't wait to get my hands on you."

I smirked. "We should head out then." I said.

Troy lead me out to the cab that he called. We have him the address and the cab driver drove us down. We could hear the music thumping from down the street. This party was going to be crazy. Absolutely fucking crazy. Troy paid the driver and we climbed out. We walked up to the house and walked though the door without any problems. The place was pretty crowded. There were people everywhere. I held on tightly to Troy's hand.

We found the kitchen and got a drink each. I mixed some vodka with some type of juice. Troy had a shot in one hand that was handed to him and some kind of alcohol and soda in the other hand. "Here you go, beautiful." Some guy handed me a shot as well.

I sniffed it. It was tequila. I looked over at Troy. "Are you going to drink it?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Let's do it at the same time." He said. "One… two… three."

We both knocked back the shot and were about to die. I choked a little bit and Troy just had a look on his face. I laughed, taking a big gulp of my drink. "Hey! You guys made it!" I heard Zach say. "And you already got your first shot."

"Yeah, there's drinks everywhere." I said, loudly, trying to get him to hear me over the music.

"If you wanna take a hit, go out to the back shed. We have the best shit in New Jersey. Pill guy is around here somewhere if you do that. Keep him with you. Some guys are assholes, you know." Zach shrugged. "Have a good time, don't throw up on my carpet."

We laughed. "Got it." Troy said.

Zach disappeared into the crowd. Troy pulled me close to him and kissed me. "It's so hot in here." I said.

Troy took my hand and lead me outside. He sat on a chair and I sat on his lap. He kissed my shoulder gently. "This is going to be a fun party." I said, taking a drink.

Troy nodded. "You are the hottest girl here."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever."

"It's true. Don't pretend like you don't know." He said, grinning. He kissed the back of my neck when I leaned back against him.

Two girls came out to come smoke next to us. "Want a smoke?" One girl asked, looking over at us.

"I've never had a cigarette before." I said, looking over at Troy.

"Oh shit, sis we have a cigarette virgin here." Another girl said. "Here, just light it and inhale."

She handed me one of her menthols and a lighter. I put the cigarette in my mouth and lit the tip, inhaling slightly. I blew the smoke out and licked the inside of my mouth. "Not that bad." I said, handing the girl back her lighter.

"You're already smoking like a pro." The first girl said.

I shrugged and handed Troy the cigarette. He choked a little bit. I smirked at him. "He doesn't smoke. We're athletes." I explained.

The girls laughed. "That explains your legs. They're perfect."

"Told you. You're hot."

"Shut up Troy."

"Boyfriend?"

"Yep. I've stuck out five and a half month with this guy." I patted his shoulder.

"Are you guys even from around here?" The girl with the purple lighter asked.

I took another drag of the cigarette, flicking the ashes. "No, We're from New Mexico."

"What the fuck are you doing here in Jersey?" Her friend asked.

"Road trip." I said. "We left last Monday and we've driven across to Florida, down to Miami then up the coast."

"She punched a girl in the face in Miami."

"Troy!" I smacked him.

"Looks like she's gonna hit you too." The purple lighter girl smirked.

Troy laughed. "Wouldn't be the first time."

I rolled my eyes, taking a long drag. "That's crazy. I wish our parents would let me go on a road trip."

"Your sisters?" I asked them.

"Twins." They said at the same time. "I'm Jenna, she's Jaymie."

Purple lighter girl, or Jaymie, nodded in agreement. "Fraternal. I'm older."

"By six minutes!" Jenna argued.

I finished the cigarette in my fingers and threw it on the ground. I stomped on it and took a drink of my drink. "What's your name?" Jaymie asked.

"Gabi and that's Troy." I patted his shoulder.

"Let's go dance!" Jenna said, stomping out her cigarette.

"Have fun." I said, smirking.

"Oh no honey, You're coming too." Jaymie pulled me up and dragged me away from Troy before I could say anything.

I got lost on the dance floor dancing with Jaymie and Jenna. I was literally in a twin sandwich. A whole bunch of guys tried to dance with me but I stuck with the twins. When my legs got tired I decided to go find Troy. God only knew where he was or what was hanging all over him.

I walked out back and looked in the pot head shed. They pressured me into taking a hit but I walked away before I got too carried away. I walked into the kitchen and found the pill guy. Once he left I poured myself a new drink. I looked around a little bit more and I went in the garage.

"Dibs!" I heard someone call out. I raised my eyebrow then spotted my boyfriend on the far end playing beer pong with Zach and his friends.

I tried to walk past the boys. "Hey beautiful." Some guy winked at me. He wasn't terrible looking but I already had my eyes on somebody.

"Excuse me." I said, trying to move past him.

He grabbed my hips. "Hey, just tell me your name."

"Gabi." I said, trying to move past him still.

"Gabi's a pretty name." He pulled me against him.

"Yeah, and you're going to get a pretty bruise when I punch you in the throat, so I suggest you let me go so I can get to my boyfriend." I said, smiling at him innocently.

He immediately let go. He was taken back, not expecting that from me. I smirked. I loved surprising people. I walked over to Troy and wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing his lips. "Where have you been?" He asked, kissing my lips firmly.

"Dancing. My legs hurt." I pouted. His hands ran down to my butt. I took a drink. "I miss you."

"I miss you too." He said, kissing my lips slowly.

"Troy, you're up." Zach said.

I pulled my lips away from his. "You better go." I pulled away from him and he walked over to the table. I took his seat and crossed my legs.

Troy looked at me and kissed the ball. He winked and me and shot the ping-pong ball into the cup of beer. "That was for you baby."

* * *

**LOL y'alls reviews kill me. I love you guys so much. if you want i could possibly upload a new story today. But we'll see. Don't forget to review!**


	43. Flu

_"New York!_  
_Concrete jungle where dreams are made of_  
_There's nothing you can't do."_

Troy was singing in his falsetto. I watched him, amused, as he drove over a bridge into the city. We had a late start this morning due to both of our hangovers. I puked my guts out. Troy was fine, he just had a bad headache. We rested a little bit and drove after lunch into the city.

We were going to find a hotel then I had to go to the bank to take out some more cash. We found a descent hotel and Troy took our stuff up to the room. We changed into something nicer and Troy walked with me to the bank because the car was in the Valet Parking garage. We didn't have to drive, everything was a block or a train ride away.

"We need to do laundry." I said, looking over at Troy.

"I think there's a Laundromat around here." Troy said, kissing my forehead.

"We'll look after I get money out." I said, walking up to the ATM with Troy.

Troy stood next to me, facing the street as I punched my pin number in. _"New York. Concrete jungle where dr-"_

"Troy, you're not Alicia Keys." I reminded him

"You're just hating on my falsetto." He grumbled.

"Weird." I said looking at my account balance.

"I'm not weird." Troy stated.

"No not you." I said, distractedly.

"Then what?"

I didn't reply, I just pulled 200 out and got my card and receipt back. I handed the money to Troy to put away. I pulled out my cell phone and called my dad. "Hello?" He answered.

"Hey Dad, it's Gabi." I said.

Troy just watched me confused. "What's going on?" He mouthed.

I held a finger up as we made our way back to the hotel. "Oh hey, how is your road trip?" He asked.

"It's going good. Hey, did you um, wire money in my account?" I asked.

"Your mom let me have the information and I wanted to make sure you had enough money to get you through the trip." He said. "I hope you don't mind."

"I don't mind, I was just wondering where the extra money came from." I said. "You could have called."

He coughed. "I've been meaning too but I've been working a lot lately and Aaron is finishing up his baseball. Honestly it slipped my mind."

"Hey, it's no problem. I was just freaked out because I was expecting it to get smaller, not bigger." I said laughing. "Well I'll let you get back to work."

"Alright, but for the record, where are you now? Incase Phoebe asks, and she will ask." Dad said.

I laughed again. "New York."

Dad chuckled. "Alright, we'll talk soon."

"Bye dad."

"Bye." He said, hanging up.

"What was that about?" Troy asked me.

"He put like 25 hundred in my account." I said. Troy pulled me closer to him and dropped a kiss on top of my head.

"Damn." He said.

"He just keeps giving me money. Aaron is going to be a spoiled little brat in a couple of years if he treats him like this too." I said. Troy opened the door for the hotel lobby. "Thanks." I said, walking in first.

"I'm sure Phoebe won't let him spoil her son." Troy said.

"Hm, maybe." I shrugged. Troy and I took the elevator up to our room and grabbed our dirty clothes, stuffing them into hotel bags. I just took everything out of my suitcase. We headed down the street to the Laundromat when we finished gathering our dirty clothes. I got a lot of quarters and started on my first two loads. Troy just threw his stuff in with mine.

"You're not going to shrink it right?" He asked, sitting on a stool watching me do his laundry.

"Do you want to do it?" I asked, looking back at him.

He smiled, watching me. "No."

"Then don't complain." We took up two big washers and a smaller one with all of our clothes.

I took a seat next to Troy and he held my hand. "I've been thinking about something."

"What's that?" I asked him.

"I want to go to Europe, like my mom wanted. Go backpacking. I think that would be kind of cool." He said quietly, looking at our hands.

"I'm sure Berkeley has a study abroad program." I said, looking at him. "That would be really cool. I've never been to Europe."

Troy nodded. "Me either. I think the flight would be killer though. Isn't it like 14 hours?" He asked me.

I shrugged. "Not sure."

"Go to the Eiffel tower, Go see Pompeii, Rome, Greece, Germany, Spain. All the places that you always see on the discovery channel but would never be able to go to." He said. "Mom always watched the discovery and travel channels… more so when I was younger. She'd always say 'we're going to go there one day.' She never got the chance to."

I squeezed his hand. I knew he was missing his mom pretty bad still. "You know she was always so proud of you. She'd be happy you'd be moving on with your life but we know that she's always in your heart. She's looking out for you, making sure you have a smooth ride here on out."

He kissed my hands and leaned against me. "She did give me you."

I smiled at him. "And she gave me you." I kissed the top of his head, hugging his face into my boobs.

I could hear him laughing. "As much as I enjoyed that, I can't breathe." I laughed, giving him a quick kiss. "Since you're not doing anything can you walk across the street and get some Chinese food?"

"I guess so." He said sighing.

I ginned. "Thank you."

He hopped off the stool, gave me a quick kiss and walked across the street. I watched the clothes swirl around in the washing machine. There was still a good ten minutes. They should be in the dryer by the time Troy came back. When I heard the dryer buzz I put the first cycles of clothes in two dryers. I did the same to the second and the third just needed one dryer. I felt like we were taking over the whole small Laundromat.

We were the only people in there except for a man sleeping up front, the worker and the woman in her thirties washing her kids clothes. Troy came back as I was putting quarters in the last machine. "I bring the food." Troy said.

"Oh good." My stomach growled, I was starving.

I turned on the machine and walked over to Troy. We took our seats and talked while we ate our food. I threw my garbage away and started folding the clothes that were dry. Troy helped as well. We bought a couple of bags to take our stuff back. We walked back to the hotel with our clean clothes and we set them back in our suitcases.

* * *

My stomach was starting to hurt. It was only like that when I ate too much fast food. Which we've been going on a McDonalds run at least once in three days. I didn't think much of it. I laid down to sleep but I couldn't just yet. Troy was out just fine. I cuddled up next to him and finally fell asleep.

I woke up with the urge to puke. I rushed over to the bathroom and barely made it before I emptied the contents of my stomach out. Once my puking had finally calmed down I felt like I needed to shit. I only had food poisoning one other time in my life and I don't remember it being this terrible. So much for having a good time in New York.

I sat on the toilet and held the trash bin between my legs because I was starting to get the urge to vomit again. "Babe, are you alright?" Fuck. I can't believe he woke up.

"I'm fine, go back to-" I vomit rose up my throat, making it's way into the bin I was holding. Troy opened the door. Dear god, I was so embarrassed. "Get out."

Troy frowned. "Gabs, it's okay."

"Please… just-" I shut my eyes tight. I wasn't even throwing up food anymore, it was just stomach acid now. It burned all down my throat.

"I'm going to get you some water." He said, walking out of the bathroom.

I just wanted to sleep. I was so tired. I was finally done shitting all over the god damn place… or atleast that's what it felt like. My stomach was finally settled for now. I cleaned myself up. I made sure there wasn't vomit on the floor. I brushed my teeth the best that I could and I laid down on the bathroom floor. I curled up and fell asleep.

* * *

"I don't know, dad. Maybe Chinese food." I heard Troy say from a distance as I was waking up. "She's definitely sick… I don't know what to do. She didn't drink any water, she just passed out on the bathroom floor…. I guess, we were planning on staying here for a while… I will… thanks."

I didn't here the rest of the conversation because I got back on the toilet. I didn't even bother closing the door. I grabbed the trash bucket which Troy cleaned I guess, it was lined with extra liners. I didn't really get to see them because I started throwing up again.

I felt like complete shit. I didn't even want to think about anything except going to sleep. I looked up while I tried to catch my breath to see Troy standing in the doorway. I turned back to release whatever was left in my stomach. Troy rubbed my back. I was thanking god I put my hair up before this all happened.

"Just let it all out." He said quietly.

"I just wanna sleep." I said tiredly.

"I know, baby, I know." Troy stayed with me for a minute until I stopped throwing up. He took the liner out of the bucket to throw it away. I just rested my head in my hands.

I cleaned myself up again, splashing cold water on my face. I brushed my teeth and headed over to the couch. "Tired, so tired." I said, zombie like, as I passed Troy.

"Why don't you go get in bed?"

"Noo." I said, laying on my back on the couch. "I'm gross."

Troy chuckled. "Baby it's fine. Go lay on the bed."

"No. I'm going to sleep now." I told him, rolling over.

"I'm leaving the bucket by the couch in case something happens." He kissed the top of my head.

"Thanks." I grumbled.

I fell asleep on the couch and I don't know where the hell Troy went but when I woke up I felt better. I didn't feel like vomiting or eating. I stripped my clothes off and took a long shower, it felt good being under the water and getting that sick feeling off me. I just braided my hair and put some comfortable clothes on. I pulled the couch out into a bed and found a mattress topper in the closet. Thank god for expensive New York Hotels. I covered it with a sheet and laid on it, turning the TV on.

It wasn't quite as comfortable as the normal bed, but it'll so for now. I heard the door clicking open and Troy grinned at me as he walked in. "Hey Beautiful, are you feeling better?" He asked.

"A little bit." I said, I noticed the grocery bags in his hands. "What'd you get?"

"I got you some no salt saltines. I called your mom, she said you like the ones with no salt better cause they don't make your tongue feel weird and I bought you some soup in a can, but you don't have to eat that if you don't want to. I also bought you some pedialite because you're probably dehydrated. You need something to get you going and I bought things for me to eat in this awesome hotel microwave." He said showing me the products he bought.

I smiled at him. "Thanks Troy. You're the best. Can you give me a cracker to see if I can eat it without throwing it back up?"

He nodded, dropping the stuff and opening the box of crackers. He pulled out a couple from the package and handed them to me. I took a bite of one and it felt okay as I chewed it slowly. I ate the first cracker and my mouth felt really dry. He was already one step ahead of me, giving me the pedialite bottle.

He took the rest of the stuff into the little mini-sort-of-not-really kitchen. I took a small drink and started on another cracker. Troy climbed in the couch bed with me. "Why aren't you in the big bed?" He asked, kissing my forehead to see if I had a fever.

"I don't want to get all the gross germs in there."

"They wash the sheets, you know." Troy said chuckling.

I gave him a soft smile. "I know, but still." I took another sip after my second cracker and decided I was done. I gave the remaining crackers to him and the bottle of pedialite. "What'd my mom say when you called her?"

"She was worried about you but I told her I felt fine and I would take care of you. She said we should just come home but by the time we got home you'd be fine." Troy said softly, looking at the TV.

"I just want to sleep all day." I said tiredly, leaning my head against his chest.

"You have been sleeping all day. It's almost five o'clock." Troy snuggled against me, putting the crackers in his mouth. He set the pedialite on the stand next to the couch.

"Thank you for taking care of me." I said, laying against him.

"Just returning the favor baby."

* * *

The next day I felt much better. I still couldn't eat a lot because my stomach was messed up but we decided to go out. We wanted to go do New York tourist-y stuff. We decided to go take a ferry to the Statue of Liberty. That was not a very good idea on a queasy stomach but once we were off the boat I felt fine. We got stuck in traffic and we walked through Central Park. I've grown to love New York, especially when I'm here with Troy.

The next night we walked around Times Square and tried to sneak in to a premier of some movie but we got kicked out. We ran all the way back to the hotel. I guess being kicked out of something meant it was time to go. We packed all our stuff up and headed out the morning after.

We spent a day in Boston before we drove up to Maine. When we got to Maine, it had been officially two weeks since we left. I already got an oil change and we spent so much money on gas, I didn't even want to count. But even though the trip was a crazy disaster, I loved every minute of it.

Troy couldn't find a cabin to stay in so we just stayed at a Hotel. It would take about a week to drive back, we just decided to head back home and go whichever way the road takes us. I enjoyed being on the road but it was definitely time to go home.

Our first stop on the way home was Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We just stayed the night because it took 12 long hours to actually get there. Our second stop was St. Louis. We were more than half way home and I decided instead of driving all the way through to Albuquerque we went to Colorado. It took us even longer to get to Colorado. Once we actually got there we slept a whole day.

The next morning I felt refreshed. I was getting kind of tired of driving though. Denver was such a beautiful city. I was glad we made it here before we drove the couple hours down to Albuquerque. We walked around a little farmers market and we bought some fresh fruit. We were going to go hiking later on so it was nice to have something healthy to eat.

We hiked up to a summit of a one of the smallest mountains. By the time we came back down we were exhausted again. We barely got through dinner and we slept in the next morning. The six hours it took us to get back to Albuquerque was nothing compared to the twelve hour days we drove sometimes.

There were no cars in my drive way when I pulled up. We sat in the car for a minute just looking at my garage. "You're not going to not talk to me for like a week again, right?" I asked him, finally looking over at him.

"What? Of course not." He said.

"I'll miss you." I said, touching his hand. "Thank you for going on this adventure with me."

He smiled. "Thank you for making it interesting."

"Dislocated Jaws and stomach flu are so interesting." I said.

"Don't forget about the time you got caught having sex on the beach or getting us kicked out of the club." Troy grinned.

I laughed. 'For the last time, those were your ideas! You're a bad influence on me."

Troy chuckled, leaning over. "I love you."

"I love you too. Let's go visit your mom tomorrow and tell her how our road trip was." I said, giving him a soft kiss.

He gave me a sad smile and nodded. "It needs new flowers."

"You should get a tattoo." I said, looking at him.

He raised his eyebrows. "Look who's coming up with the bad ideas now."

I pouted. "Come on, you'd look so sexy with a back tattoo." I ran my finger down his spine. "Just think about it."

He sighed. "Fine. Come on, let's haul this crap over to my house."

I grinned and we got out of my car. We stretched our legs out. "I wonder where mom is." I thought out load as Troy pulled his bags out of the trunk. "They probably went to dinner."

"But both cars are missing." Troy mentioned.

"Maybe Cam picked up the boys and then they went to dinner." I shrugged. "Oh well. I'm not even hungry. I just want to take a nice long hot bath."

I closed my trunk and walked over to Troy's. "It feels weird being home."

"I guess this is what it'll be like when we come home from college." I said, looking up at his door.

Troy opened the door and I followed him inside. "Dad?" Troy called out.

We heard footsteps from the kitchen. "Troy. Gabi." Jack's face lit up. "I wasn't expecting you back home so soon."

I laughed. "One can only take so much Troy."

Jack chuckled and Troy looked offended. I giggled, kissing his cheek. "How was the road?"

"So much fun!" I said, giving him a big hug. "How are you doing?"

"Working away." He said. "But I do still have a weeks vacation that I have to use in the next couple months."

"If you go to Florida, don't take Gabi, she likes to punch people down there."

I scoffed, smacking Troy's arm. "I'm going to go and call my dad to tell him I'm home. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Jack chuckled. "Bye Gabi."

I gave Troy a kiss. "Bye baby." He kissed my forehead and I waved when I walked out.

I walked home and took my stuff out of the car, dragging it to the doorstep. I opened the door and took it upstairs to my room. I separated the dirty clothes and put them in the washer. I put my other clean clothes away. I drew myself a hot bath and lit some candles and sank down into the water.

It was back to our normal lives. I'm sure it was going to be fun since the boys are coming back. Cam had to tell me something which I wasn't really worried for. I still had to call my dad but I would do that later. I wondered where Mom was. Maybe she was working. I didn't really tell her I was coming home today, I just said soon.

I cleared my head and relaxed against the back of the tub.

* * *

**The end of the road trip. I didn't really want to drag it out. I already feel like i kinda am with this story but i'm still working on it. i'm trying to find the right place to end it. I can't believe it's already saturday. School is coming back so fast. blah blah blah yadda yadda yadda k bye.**

**Don't forget to review**


	44. Back

"Gabi!" I heard the boys rush into my room and tackle me on the bed when they got home.

I laughed, hugging both of them tightly. "How was your time with your mom?" I asked them.

They sat on the bed. "It was okay." CJ said. "We do the same thing we do every summer. Go visit grandma then go visit grandpa and we have to hang out with her all the time and it's so boring."

I looked over at Chris and he shrugged. "I had fun."

I smiled. "I'm glad you did, I missed you guys. Oh, I brought you both something." I said, grinning.

"What?" CJ asked, excitedly.

"Well when I went to Florida. We drove past the place where the spring training headquarters were so I brought you this." I handed CJ a T-shirt that had all the teams in the Florida Grapefruit league on it. "And for you, I didn't see any shows but Lion King was on Broadway and I got you this." I gave him a Lion King shirt.

"Thanks Gabi." Chris said grinning.

"No problem. Is my mother home yet?" I asked them.

They shook their heads. "She had to go to San Francisco for the weekend."

I frowned. "Alright. Well I guess it's just me and the guys huh? Cam!"

Cam walked in the room and tackled me on his bed. "We missed you Gabi."

"I missed you too. What did you have to talk to me about?" I asked him.

"Boys, you gotta leave." He said, looking over at the boys.

"Aw come on dad, just tell us." CJ frowned.

Cam thought for a minute then sighed. "Okay, I was thinking we could go on a vacation. All five of us."

"Where?" Chris asked excitedly.

"I don't know yet, but I'm sure your mom could get some time off work. We're not in school and I want to do something before you go away to college. Your mom is taking it really hard that you're leaving her." Cam said, patting my shoulder.

"Hawaii." I said. "Mom loves Hawaii. That where she went on her vacations without me when I was little. She never took me though because we were always moving somewhere."

"Hell yeah." CJ said.

"Cameron." Cam scolded his son.

CJ smirked behind his fathers back making me laugh. "What do you think about Hawaii?" I asked Cam.

He gave me a small smile. "I think we can work it out. Your mom is coming home on Sunday."

I nodded. "The Bolton's might want to join in on the vacation as well." I gave him my best smile.

Cam shook his head. "We'll see. Goodnight Gabi-girl. It's nice to have you back."

I grinned. "Goodnight boys." I gave them all a kiss on the cheek and they walked out saying goodnight as well.

I cuddled up in my bed and smiled to myself. Hawaii would be fun. Hawaii with Troy would be even more fun. I missed him already. I wonder if college is going to suck like this. He's going to be an hour away at Berkeley. I sighed, shaking it out of my head.

* * *

I woke up early and got ready. I walked over to Troy's house and Jack was cooking breakfast. "Hey Gabs." He said, glancing at me.

I took a seat at the island. "Hey Jack. My mom is apparently in San Francisco so I won't even see her till Sunday." I said sighing. "But today we're going to see Lucy."

Jack nodded, "Troy told me. Breakfast?"

"Sure." I said. He slid a plate over to me. "You're welcome to come with us. I haven't been there since the burial. I don't know if Troy has or not."

"I don't think he has, he's kept himself pretty busy. I went when they said they got the headstone put in. It's nice." He said, passing me a fork. "Troy! Breakfast!" He yelled up the stairs.

"Thank you for breakfast." I started digging in. Troy came down and grinned when he saw me.

"Morning dad, Morning Gabi." Troy kissed my cheek and his dad passed him a plate of food. Troy took a seat next to me. "Was your mom excited to see you?"

I rolled my eyes. "She's in California for work. But she should be back on Sunday. I still haven't called my dad yet. You need to remind me to do that later."

"Okay." He said with a full mouth.

I laughed at him, getting up to pour three glasses of juice. Jack sat down with us and we talked over breakfast. I told him about us, maybe, going to Hawaii. Troy was down to go but I wasn't sure if Jack was on board. Jack went off to work and Troy and I hopped in his truck and drove down to the cemetery.

We got out and walked slowly over to her grave. Once he saw the stone his whole body changed. He slumped down. I wrapped my arms around him, rubbing his side to let him know I was there for him. I wanted to take all his hurt away. He didn't deserve any of it. But god, I couldn't.

I heard him sobbing from next to me and I wrapped him up in my arms. He buried his face against my neck and I bit my lip to keep it from quivering. I shut my eyes and massaged his head slowly. "Let it out babe. I'm right here." I said quietly against his ear.

"I need to sit down." He said quietly.

I took a seat and Troy laid on his back. His head was resting on his leg as he looked up to the sky. I wiped his tears before they fell into his ears and he calmed down. I rubbed his chest slowly, under his shirt. "What was your mom like before she was sick?" I asked him.

"She was the same." Troy said after a minute of collecting himself. "The sickness just took a toll on her body but she was still the same person through both rounds of cancer."

I smiled. "She was strong."

"She is the strongest person I've ever known. I miss her all the time." Troy said, taking a deep breath.

"I miss her too. Though I only knew her for a couple months, she was amazing." I moved my hands up to his hair, playing with it.

Troy suddenly gave me a small smile. "She loved you so much." He chuckled. "I think you were her favorite person in the world."

I laughed a little. "You know what's not true."

"You know what I mean though. She always asked about you since the first time I introduced her to you on my doorstep. She thought you were beautiful and I agreed." He put my hand on his chest and held it there.

"When you came back from Vegas and hung out with her for a little bit, that made her whole month. You felt like a daughter to her. God, you should have seen her after you left after we told them we were dating." Troy grinned. "You couldn't wipe the smile off her face."

I smiled down at him. "I don't understand why she liked me so much. I just had a bad attitude."

"She said you were good for me. I needed to stop taking everything so seriously. Which was ironic because I don't think I took anything seriously before I met you. You made the Troy at home become the Troy everybody now knows. You didn't put up with my shit, she liked that too." Troy kissed the area of my inner elbow.

"I want to be a free spirit like her. She just loved everything and was so cool, you know? That was my favorite thing about her." I told him.

Troy chuckled. "My favorite thing is her no bullshit attitude. She'd say any damn thing she wanted to. That was just who she was."

I nodded. "Your mom was awesome."

He nodded. "Yeah. I was lucky to have her."

"What do you think she'd tell you now if she was here?"

"To stop crying and to eat something because I'm getting too skinny. But if she was here, she'd probably ignore me and talk to you." He said.

I rolled my eyes. I put my hands on his face and kissed his lips. "Do you feel better?"

Troy nodded his head. "I do actually. I needed this."

I smiled. "Good, I'm glad. But you need to get up because my leg is asleep."

He sat up. "Is it tingly yet?" He asked, touching my thigh where his head was resting.

I squealed. "No! Don't touch it." I smacked his hand away. "Ow." I said when he touched it again. I tried to stay as still as possible but Troy kept touching it and the feeling went away. I jumped on his back after he helped me up. "For touching my tingly leg. You are my servant for the day."

"I'm your servant everyday." He said, carrying me to his truck.

"Oh shush." I said, kissing the back of his neck. I sucked on the back of his neck firmly. I released when he set me down. There was a perfect circle shaped hickey on the back of his neck. I smirked to myself and buckled myself in, closing the door.

* * *

My mom came back on Saturday, instead of Sunday. I finally called my dad to tell him I was home. My mom was so excited to see me she told me she almost got into an accident on the way home. My mom was strange. She wrapped me in a big hug and held me for a while. I hadn't been away from her for more than a week.

The following days we spent time together talking about the trip I took over massages or getting our nails done or lunch. Whatever we decided to do that day. I didn't realize how much I missed my mom until I actually spent some quality time with her.

We were at lunch now. We were at one of my Moms favorite restaurants in Albuquerque. We sat in a booth and mom ordered for me. I stabbed a piece of lettuce on my plate and put it in my mouth. "Did you do any more crazy things while you were our on the road?"

"Um… We got kicked off a beach." I wasn't going to tell her for having sex on it.

"For what?" She asked, watching me eat.

I licked my lips. "For being too… rowdy, I would say." I shrugged. "I almost punched another guy in the face for hitting on me at a party… other than that nothing really."

Mom shook her head at me. "You get your crazy from your father."

I rolled my eyes. "That doesn't surprise me. Oh, I think I talked Troy into getting a tattoo."

"Of what?" She asked, sipping her diet soda.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm not sure yet. Probably something that has to do with Lucy. I want another tattoo."

She raised her eyebrows. "Two tattoos and you're already addicted."

"I'll get a Mom tattooed on my boob over my heart." I said, smirking. She raised her eyebrow at me. "You'll love it."

Mom shook her head, moving back to her food. I started eating again. "So are you and Troy using protection?"

I choked on the piece of lettuce I was chewing. "What?"

"Are you and Troy using protection when you have sex?" She asked again in her same, calm demeanor.

"Yes. Condoms and My shot." I said. "Which I need to get another one in two weeks."

"I know, that's why I was just checking." She said, shrugging. "Do you guys have sex often?"

"Mom." I said, my cheeks flushing. I looked away so nobody could hear what she was saying.

"What?" She asked. "I'm your mother. You came out of me, you don't have to be embarrassed."

I shut my eyes, squeezing the bridge over my nose. "It's still weird, talking to you about the frequency of my sex life."

"I just wanted to see what you'd say. Cam and I can hear you sometimes." She said.

I put my hands over my face. "Oh my god." I looked up at her mortified. "I think I'm going to cry."

She smirked. "So you do it in the house?"

"Mom!" I was so confused.

She burst out laughing. "Parenting is so great." She mused. "I can't hear you sweetheart. Just you know when Troy comes over I'll have a cup and stand by your door."

"I'm going to go drive off a bridge." I pushed my plate of salad away from me.

Mom rolled her eyes. "Gabriella."

"What? You started this." I said, taking a drink of my water.

She looked at her watch. "We should get going. I have a surprise for you at home."

"I'm scared." I said. Mom called over the waiter. She got the check and paid. We walked to moms car and she drove us home. I got out of the car and walked inside my house. I yawned, heading up the stairs. I kicked off my shoes as I walked into my room.

"What's up, bitch?"

My head whipped over to the blonde, sitting on my bed. "Sharpay!" I smiled at her and she rushed over to me. I hugged her tightly. "Oh my god, when did you get in?"

"This morning." She said, and we sat down on the bed. "So you have to tell me all about the trip."

I got up and closed my door before we both laid down on my bed. "Oh god, where to even begin…"

Sharpay stayed the night but she had to leave early because her family was going on yet another vacation. I forgot how much I liked having a girl friend around. I've never really had close girl friends like Sharpay so it was really nice. I wasn't completely sure what I was doing today. I might go hang out with the Boys or Troy.

I just stood in the kitchen looking for some breakfast. "Hey Gabi." CJ said, reaching over me to grab the milk.

"Hey, What are you and Chris doing today?" I asked him, deciding on yogurt. I took a seat at the table next to CJ, spoon in hand.

"I'm going to play baseball with my friends. Chris is meeting up with my mom I think. She wants to take him out for lunch or something. I don't know. Why?"

I shrugged. "I have nothing to do today. I'll find something to do." I said, putting a spoon full of yogurt in my mouth.

"We can hang out tomorrow if you want. Or you can come to my baseball game." CJ offered.

I smiled at him, swallowing. "I might do that. I'll see what Troy's doing. You have to tell me where it is."

"Okay." He said, chomping on his cereal.

I gave him a fist bump and we ate our breakfast. I went back upstairs to change my clothes. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail. I pulled on my shoes and walked down stairs. I waved goodbye to Cam and the boys before I took off to run. I ran around the park a couple time before I slowed to a stop. I got some water and stretched my body out. It's been a while since I've been on a long run.

"Gabs! Look alive!" Chad chucked a basketball at me and I caught it effortlessly.

"Hey Chad." I bounced the ball before passing it back to him.

"What are you doing out here all alone?" He asked me.

"Just went out for a run before it gets too hot." I smiled. "You?"

"I gotta work on my b-ball skills." He said. "I've been working out with the Red Hawks but today I have a day off."

I grinned at him. "I'm proud of you. Have you been hanging around Taylor much?"

He shook his head. "We decided we should stay friends. She's already in Boston, at Harvard."

I frowned. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. It was for the best. I've got my best friend back and we get to play hoops before you guys leave for California." Chad said with an optimistic grin.

"Is he meeting you here?" I asked Chad.

"Yeah. He should be here already." Chad said, looking down at his watch.

"Boo!" I felt somebody poked my sides.

I screamed, elbowing whoever it was in the stomach. I heard a groan and turned around. I saw Troy on the ground holding his stomach. I put my hand on my chest trying to calm it's wild beating. "Fuck Troy. Don't sneak up on me or poke my sides."

Chad was on the floor laughing. I wanted to smack him. "Dually noted." Troy said, holding onto his stomach. I pulled him up wrapping him in a hug. "Sorry babe." He said, leaning in to kiss me.

I gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "I'm sorry too. I hope I didn't hurt you that bad." I rubbed his stomach.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Troy asked me.

"Running, I was bored." I said shrugging.

"You can play basketball with us, if you want." Troy offered.

I shook my head. "Nah. You spend some quality time together." I leaned up to give him another kiss. "I'm going to go to CJ's baseball game later on. Am I going to see you tonight?" I asked him, holding his hands.

"We'll see. I'll text you. Have fun." He kissed my lips firmly before letting my hands go.

"Alright, bye Chad." I gave the bushy haired boy a hug before I got another drink of water and ran off.

I made my way back home and hopped straight into the shower. I put on a pair of shorts and a tank top when I got out. I French braided my hair and put a pair of sunglasses on my face. I walked down the stairs with my purse.

"Hey, where are you going?" Cam asked me.

"Going to watch CJ." I said. "I'm bored."

Cam smiled. "Good, you can ride with me."

"Sweet." I said.

"Wanna get some lunch before?" He asked me, grabbing the keys to his car.

"Sure, I'm hungry." We walked out to his car, locking the house out.

"So, what's Troy doing today?" Cam asked as I got into the passenger seat.

"Basketball with his friend Chad. Sharpay left already so I was just going to play it by ear." I said putting on my seatbelt.

Cam chuckled. "I'm sure he hasn't hung out with his friends in a while."

I laughed. "They haven't. I've been hogging him."

"Well good thing he gets to get away from you now." Cam joked.

I rolled my eyes. "Just drive."

Cam chuckled and drove to a random restaurant on the West side of town. We walked in and took a seat at a table. I looked over the menu, deciding what I want. "I used to come here all the time. Since I moved in it's been pretty out of the way."

"I'm sure Mom would love it if you took her here." I said.

"Speaking of your mom, I do have something I want to ask you." Cam said, looking away.

"What?" I asked. "Thank you." I said to the woman who put waters on our table. I took a sip of water and turned my attention back to Cam.

"I know we haven't been together for a long time. I love your mom. She is everything I've ever wanted Gabi. She's perfect." He said with a grin on his face. "I don't want to spend the rest of my life with anybody else. I love you too, Gabi. I already consider you as a daughter and I know the boys already consider you like a big sister. It's not going to be soon but maybe in a couple of months I want to ask your mom to marry me." Cam said, letting out a nervous breath.

I just stared back at him. A wedding. My mom. Brothers. Cameron. My mind was racing. When I finally shook out of whatever daze I was in. I gave Cam a big smile. I felt the tears welling up in my eyes. "I'd like nothing more than for you to marry my mom. She is so happy. She's literally the happiest I've ever seen her. I love you and the boys too. You only get to ask her to marry you if you let me help pick out the ring."

Cam grinned. "I was planning on it already. I talked to the boys. They're fine with it, I just wanted to make sure you're okay with it as well. I know I'm not just marrying your mom. I am marrying you too."

I smiled at him. "My mom would be crazy to say no to you."

* * *

**Mama's getting married... maybe. Oh and don't worry guys. She is not, nor i ever plan to make her, pregnant. No babies for them. She just had food poisioning. I love you all my little buttercups. Happy sunday! Don't forget to review.**


	45. Hawaii

"So, guess what?" Troy said, plopping down next to me on my bed. He startled me.

I looked over at the time, it was a little after nine. I closed the book in my hand and put it on the stand next to me. "What?" I asked, turning to face him. He played with my hair.

"Dad and I are going with you guys to Hawaii." Troy said, smiling at me.

"Really?" I asked excitedly.

He nodded. "Yep, he told me just before I left to come over here."

I smiled, laying back in his arms. "I'm so excited for Hawaii."

"Maybe we could try again."

"Try what?"

"Sex on the beach." He whispered, kissing the shell of my ear.

"Hell no. Not with everybody going!" I told him.

"Come on." He said, nibbling on my earlobe.

"Nope. No way. I'm not getting caught again." I said, turned to face him. I kissed his lips slowly. "I love you but no."

Troy chuckled, kissing me slowly. He pulled off his shirt and I laid my head against his chest. "When do you want to get married?"

I choked on my spit. "What?"

He chuckled. "When do you want to get married?"

"After college. After I get my Doctorate. So approximately nine to ten years from now." I said, looking over at him.

"That's a long time." He said, looking at me.

"Well I figure it'll take me at least six years to get my masters since I'll be pre-med. Then I'll continue into grad school program and get my doctorate. I'll get married before or after my residency. Then I'll work a couple years before kids." I said, looking up at my ceiling.

"What if it doesn't work out that way?" He asked me.

I sighed. "I don't know. If it comes earlier then if the time is right then I could get married before I graduate. OR I'll be forever alone." I laughed.

Troy kissed my cheek, rolling his eyes. "I hope all your dreams come true." He whispered against my cheek.

"As long as I have you by my side, they will." I said, stroking his chest slowly. I looked up at him and he looked lost. He was staring off into the corner of the room. He didn't look happy. He looked like he had a lot on his mind. I wondered if I did something wrong. "Babe." I said softly. "You alright?"

He nodded, looking down at me. He gave me a tight smile. "I'm fine, let's go to sleep."

I decided to let it go. I was really tired and I'm sure he was too. He wrapped me up in his arms and I cuddled against him. "I love you Troy."

"I know, I love you too." He said quietly.

I heard him softly snoring next to me within a matter of minutes. I, on the other hand, could not fall asleep. I wanted to know what was wrong. It seemed like every time we talked about our future together, he was a little unsure. I hope he wasn't going to dump me or anything. I don't know if I'd be able to bounce back from that.

I climbed out of bed and went out to the balcony, leaving the doors open. It was a warm night. It wasn't too hot or too cold. I climbed over the railing and into the tree. I leaned back against the trunk and relaxed. I bet I looked like a crazy tree woman. I didn't care though. I needed to find some peace and I felt like I needed to sit in a tree to get it.

I took a deep breath. I couldn't wait to get to California. Now I was kind of dreading it. Troy was being iffy. My mom is going to get married. Maybe I should break it off before he does. Maybe not. I don't know why I felt like everything was doubting us now. I needed some type of reassurance. I needed something.

"Gabi?" Troy asked tiredly. "What the hell are you doing in a tree at one in the morning?"

I looked over at him. I was so lost in thought I lost track of time. Troy pulled me back into reality. "I couldn't sleep. I had a lot on my mind." I said, looking back into the tree around me.

"Come on, get down. Let's go back to bed." He said, walking to the railing.

"You can go, I'm going to sit out here for a little while longer." I said quietly.

He stifled a yawn before climbing over the railing. "I'll stay with you." He climbed on a bulkier tree branch next to mine, resting his head on the trunk next to mine. "What's on your mind?"

"Just a lot of stuff." I said, nibbling on my lip. "You don't have to stay."

"I know, but I want to." He reached over and held my hand. "Why did you decide to sit in the tree?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. I just felt like it."

We sat there quietly before he spoke again. "This tree branch is squishing my balls. Please, come inside with me."

I laughed a little but turning to face him. "Okay." He climbed off the tree back to my balcony. He helped me out of the tree and I shook of any crawlies that decided to get on me. We walked inside and I closed the doors to my balcony behind me. "Sorry about your balls." I said, climbing into bed.

Troy pulled the covers over himself. He was freezing. Well he didn't have a shirt on and I'd be cold too. I wrapped my arms around him to try to warm him up a bit. "They'll live." He said, wrapping his arms around me. I sighed to myself, closing my eyes. I needed to relax. I'll be fine tomorrow.

* * *

As the next couple weeks went by, I was slowly prepping myself for college. I was getting everything I needed for my dorm. Mom had handled the living situation, she wanted the best for me and she was going to go down with me after we got back from Hawaii which happened to be my birthday week as well. I was going to be 19. We were going to Hawaii, then I was leaving for college two weeks later.

It was crazy that this summer went by so fast. It was more then half way to August. I was excited to go to Hawaii but I was scared of what would come after it. I was going to miss Albuquerque. I missed my mom. I missed Lucy. I wish I could talk to her, get some of her advice, especially about Troy. But then again if she was alive he probably wouldn't be this way.

"Gabi, we're leaving for the airport in a half hour, you better have everything packed." Mom called up to me from down stairs.

"I do." I called back to her. I double checked my luggage and my carry on. I made sure I had everything I needed. "CJ!"

"What?" He asked, peaking his head in through the door.

"Can you take my bags downstairs?" I asked, grinning at him.

He rolled his eyes. "Fine." He took my suitcase and took it down the stairs.

"Thank you brother!" I called out to him.

"Your welcome sister." He said from downstairs.

I smiled looking into my bathroom to check if I had forgotten anything. I shut my bathroom door. I grabbed a book for the plane and picked up my backpack/purse for the trip to take it down stairs. Since there was seven of us we were literally going to take up a whole row. Three seats in the middle, and two seats of two on each side.

I sat on the couch, waiting for everybody to stop running around so we can get into the car. Troy walked in with his bags, leaving them with the rest of ours. He made his way over to me and sat down. "Hey baby." He said, giving me a firm kiss on the cheek.

"Hey." I said with a devilish grin.

"I know that grin, and you're planning something up to no good." He said, kissing my lips slowly. "But I definitely want to know what it is."

"You'll see." I said, pressing my lips against his quickly.

"Okay, lets go!" Mom yelled. "Get your shit and take it outside."

"Where's your dad?" I asked as I got up.

"Outside waiting for us." He said, getting up after me. "Ladies first."

I walked past him, grabbing my suitcase and rolling it outside. Troy followed me. Chris followed him. CJ and Jack were already outside and my mom and Cam were pulling up the rear. We rented a bus to take us to the airport. It was a pretty small bus but we wanted to get all of us and all our stuff there in one trip and in one car.

The boys loaded up our stuff and I climbed into the bus. Mom sat next to me. "We are really outnumbered by boys now." I said, looking up at her.

"We are my dear. Can't live with them, can't live without them." She kissed my forehead. "Are you excited for your birthday?"

I nodded. "I'm going to be 19." I said, looking up at her.

She sighed. "Don't remind me."

I cuddled against her until Troy got on and sat next to me. I cuddled with him until we got to the airport. We climbed out of the bus, checking all our luggage in. I had my backpack and waited for everybody else to finish. I sought out a Starbucks and mom went with me to get some drinks for us.

We passed through security and made our way over to the terminal. It didn't take long for us to board the plane. We had a seven hour flight over the ocean. I was getting myself prepared to sleep for at least the first two hours. Troy got to sit next to me. I was in the window, he was in the aisle. We were in first class. There were only another seven people in front with us.

I asked for a blanket and pillows. I put the blanket on my lap and the pillow on Troy's shoulder to lay on for the time being. Once we took off I was dozing off already. I laid my seat back and curled up under the blanket. Troy laid his seat back as well and shared my blanket with me. I had fallen asleep until I heard the ding of the loud speaker saying it was alright to take our seatbelts off. The plane was dark because people were trying to sleep.

I sat up, stretching my back out. I unbuckled my seatbelt and getting up. Mom was asleep against Cam who was reading a magazine. It looked like Jack was out too. CJ and Chris were watching the movie that was starting to play on the screens. I went to the bathroom. The bathrooms seemed like they were bigger. There were four larger ones instead of the smaller ones in the middle and the back of the plane. I washed my hands and sat back down next to Troy. He was awake beside me.

"Hey." I said, sitting down.

"Where'd you go?" He asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Bathroom. They're huge." I said, crawling under the blanket with him. We put the middle rest up and I draped my legs over his lap. I kissed his lips slowly. "Did you have a nice nap?"

"It was short, but yes."

I ran my fingers through his hair. "Take another nap." I said.

"I'll be good for a little bit." He grinned at me. He put his finger on my chin and kissed my lips slowly. He stroked my inner thigh with his finger tips. I smiled against his lips and brushed my tongue against his bottom lip.

I pulled him closer to me. I adjusted myself so I was sitting on my leg and letting the other one on the ground. He held onto my face as I brushed my tongue against his when he parted his lips. I let my hand drop to his lap under the blanket. I squeezed the right side where his member rested against his thigh.

A flight attendant walked by and we pulled apart. I put my face in his neck as I stroked him outside his jeans, underneath the blanket. I sucked on the side of his neck. "I want you." I whispered against his neck. "I can't wait till we land. We have our own room, you know? We're on the other side of the house, away from everybody else. No one will be able to hear you take me, every night."

I felt him stiffen under his jeans. His eyes were clamed shut. "You can't do this to me here, baby." He said softly.

"Why not? You don't think I can suck your dick without getting caught?" I asked him, sucking his earlobe into my mouth. I circled my tongue around his earlobe. I unbuttoned his jeans and unzipped his pants soundlessly.

He lifted his hips up just to get his jeans down far enough to not make it look suspicious. I pulled down his boxers a little bit and his erection sprang up. He put his pillow on his lap while I stroked him slowly. I sat up straight and saw no flight attendants near by. Everybody else was sleeping. I pulled the blanket over my head and took him deep in my mouth without anymore teasing. I pulled myself up leaning over to whisper in his ear again.

"You have to keep your eyes open baby. Tap me if somebody is coming." I said, kissing his lips firmly. I went back down and stroked him quickly. I looked up to see Troy biting his hand. He was alert though. I bobbed my head up and down on him. I kept a firm grip, stroking as I worked my mouth on him.

He pushed my head down so I could take him deeper in my mouth. He kept my head there and tapped the back of my head. I was about to pull up when I felt him come in my mouth. I almost gagged, the taste was too much for me. I held it in my mouth, sitting up. Troy wiped my lip and I smacked his chest hard.

I walked quickly to the bathroom and spit his semen into the sink. I ran my tongue under the water for a second before spitting out whatever water was left in my mouth. I saw the door open. I was about to say something but Troy snuck in and locked the door.

"We have to be quick." He said dropping his pants around his ankles. He pressed his lips against mine, tugging down my shorts. He pushed my underwear off to the side and entered me in one swift motion. "Fuck, you're so wet."

He hoisted me onto the sink and I put my foot on the wall to hold myself up. He pounded into me, kissing my lips hungrily. He pressed his thumb down on my clit and I squeezed my walls around him. "Fuck me, Oh." I grabbed the back of my head. "Yes, right there." He sucked on my collar bone, rubbing my clit with his thumb.

"Fuck." He cursed. He quickened his pace and I bit down on his shoulder trying to quiet the moan that bubbled out of my throat. My orgasm took over me quickly. Troy held onto my waist, releasing himself. He pulled out of me, kissing my lips firmly. "Was this what you had in mind?"

I grinned, nodding. "So worth it." I hopped off the sink and we cleaned up, getting dressed. I walked out first and nobody was around so Troy came out after me. We took our seats and everybody was still sleeping. I smirked to myself.

Troy and I slept until we were woken up by the loud speaker again. We got our meal and we watched a movie for the second half of the plane ride. We landed on the big island and we got off the plane. We walked down the terminal and waited for our luggage.

I was excited to get to the beach and go swimming and tanning. I bit my bottom lip, breathing in the Hawaiian breeze. We pulled our luggage off the turnstile. We got another van to drive around while we were here. We loaded the van up and Troy and I shared the back with CJ. They talked about sports the whole way to the resort where we were staying. I was just resting against Troy's chest on the ride over.

"You're awfully quiet baby, didn't you sleep on the plane?" Mom asked me. She was sitting in the middle seats with Chris. Cam and Jack were up front.

I licked my lips. "I couldn't sleep very well. I just watched movies and stuff."

"Well were going to find some dinner and go to sleep early because we have a big day tomorrow." Mom said, smiling.

"Sounds good." Troy played with my hair absentmindedly. I yawned pressing my face against his chest. I closed my eyes for the rest of the ride.

The van stopped and we climbed out of the van. Mom checked in and we grabbed the keys to our villa. We carried our stuff down a small path until we got to the house closest to the water. Mom unlocked the door and we walked inside. We all set our things in the living room before we went off and claimed rooms. There were two rooms on the west wing. A 'master' and one room on the east wing of the villa with attached bathroom. Troy and I knew we would be on the east side.

We separated to get settled in. I made Troy carry my stuff over to our room. We unpacked. Our clothes mixing together in the drawers. Our suitcases were kicked under the bed. I took a seat on the Queen sized bed. I laid back. "Oh shit, this is comfortable." I mumbled.

"Watch out." I sat up and Troy belly flopped onto the bed. "Oh yeah." He grabbed a pillow and hugged it tightly.

I laid back down resting my head on his butt. "Good thing it doesn't squeak."

"We literally have the best room. I mean, look at that view." He pointed to the double doors that had a small path that lead to the beach. Each room had one but we were the ones facing the ocean.

"We're spoiled." I said, laying next to him.

"Hell yeah we are." Troy kissed the back of my head. "We're too spoiled for our own good."

I took a deep breath. "Troy?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you scared to go off to college?" I asked him.

"I'm petrified." He said, laughing stiffly. "What about you?"

"I'm scared. I'll miss my mom so much. She's the only person who I've always been close with. She's been all I had since forever." I said quietly.

"I'll miss my dad, Chad. I already miss my mom. We're going to be making a lot of trips back home." He said, nodding.

I turned around to face him. "That's fine with me." I leaned my forehead against his. "I love you."

"I love you more every day."

"Do you think we'll get married?" I asked him.

"Maybe. Maybe not." He said honestly. "You never know what the future has waiting for us."

I thought about it for a minute. He was right. He rubbed my arms slowly. "I hope we do."

"Me too." He said, kissing my forehead.

"Troy, Gabi. Time for dinner." Mom called from across the villa. We got up slowly, walking out of the room to meet up with everybody else.

* * *

**Hey y'all. Soooo, since i don't have school Mondays and Wednesdays i'll be posting then and maybe friday afternoon. This story is drawing to a close. There is a little more than 10 chapters left. The last chapter will come before y'all know it. I'm trying to wrap it up but i've been having a hard time for the last couple of months. I'm determined to finish what i started though. I love you guys. Don't forget to review!**


	46. Water

Mom woke us up bright and early with a huge breakfast. I slept so good. Right after dinner Troy and I passed out on the bed. I wasn't sure what we were going to do today. It was Monday. Tomorrow, we were going to split up and spend some time with our families. I was going to spend the whole day with my mom. Mom had a whole bunch of stuff planned for us. I was just going to get dragged along.

We ate breakfast together and Troy and I did the dishes. We had to go to the grocery store first. We took a quick trip last night before we came back from dinner. I got changed into my bathing suit, pulling on a dress over it. I slipped my feet into sandals and tied my hair up.

I sat on the bed, waiting for Troy. Me, Troy and the boys waited for the adults to get back with the groceries. We were watching some show on MTV. Mom called me to come out and get the groceries. The boys and I filed out the door and carried the groceries back and put them away as needed. Mom, Cam and Jack got changed before we climbed into the van again.

I sat in the middle with mom while Troy and the boys sat in the back. I looked out the window. The green of the shrubbery and the blue sky blended perfectly until the green was switched with a light tan of the sand. We had parked next at a state beach. I pulled open my door, breathing in the ocean air. I wouldn't wait to get in.

I hopped out of the van, grabbing my towel. "Don't leave yet. I have something special planned." Mom said, standing on the other side of the car. Troy was getting out on my side. His feet hit the gravel and I leaned against him, kissing his lips slowly.

"Where are we going?" Cam said.

"Follow me guys." Mom said, walking off.

"Do you think your mom has the whole week planned?" Troy asked me, as we walked behind everybody.

"Probably." I said, leaning against Troy's shoulder.

"I want to take you out sometime this week." He said, leading me. His hand was on the small of my back.

"For my birthday?" I asked him.

He shrugged. "Maybe. We'll have to see."

I rolled my eyes. "You'll have to talk to mom about that. She's the boss."

We made our way over to a gated area where we were going to swim with the dolphins. Then we were going to have lunch and take a family surf lesson. This day should be interesting. The swimming with the dolphins was fun. We got to feed them and everything.

When we got back to the beach after lunch we walked down to a little shack that was lined with surfboards. Chris or mom didn't want to surf so they stayed on shore. The rest of us slipped into wet suits and grabbed a board. Once we got the basics down we sat in the water on the surfboards. He was taking his time with each one of us.

Troy paddled over to me. "Hey."

"Hey babe." I kicked my feet in the water.

"Look at him, this is the happiest I've seen him since before mom died." Troy said quietly, talking about his dad.

I looked over to look at Jack. He sitting with Cam. They were watching CJ try to surf. Jack was laughing at something. I smiled to myself. "He's probably happy he's not stuck at work and he gets to spend time with you."

"I think the family time your mom planned for tomorrow will be good for us."

"It'll be good for everybody, you know. I want you and your dad to have a good relationship."

"Me too. He's all I have." Troy said, looking down into the clean water.

"That's not true. You have me, my mom, Cam, the boys. Babe, it doesn't matter if we break up next week or two years from now. You are already part of my family. You're my best friend. And Jack is like a father to me." I reached over to hold his hand. "I came to Albuquerque with no father figure, no male role model. When we leave for California, I have three. I have my father and my other two dads back in Albuquerque."

"We're not going to break up." He said, looking at me.

"I was playing the what if game. But that's not the point. The point is I could let people go so easily and not care. I'm not letting you or your mom, or your dad or the rest of your family go. You're stuck with me, alright?" I squeezed his hand, pulling his board closer to mine. I leaned over and kissed his lips.

Troy grinned against my lips. "You're so beautiful."

"And you're handsome."

"Troy, you're up." CJ called out.

I smiled at Troy. "Go, I'll be watching you. I'm sure you'll put all of us to shame."

He winked at me, paddling over to the guys. I sat where I was, watching him learn. I took a deep breath. The rocking of the ocean was relaxing. Hawaii was a magical place. How could anybody be unhappy in the lush paradise? I wasn't sure.

I watched Troy stand up riding a small wave before he lost balance and fell off. Once his head popped up I clapped for him. I watched as he tried a couple more times until it was my turn. Surfing was hard. The falls were the worst but it was really fun. It was even funnier watching Cam and Jack try to surf. I bet my mom was cracking up on shore.

When we were done we paddled back to shore and put the boards on the rack. I pulled off my wetsuit, and hung it up to dry. I made my way over to mom and laid out next to her. "Hey mama."

"Hey baby." She looked over at me. "How was surfing?"

"Fun." I said, grinning. I need to work on my tan. "Where's Chris?"

"Getting a drink." Mom said, laying back.

"What are we doing for my birthday?" I asked my Mom.

"I really don't have anything planned for Wednesday but I was hoping we could go out for dinner to celebrate." Mom stated, fixing the bottoms of her bathing suit. "Why?"

"Just wondering." I said with a shrug.

* * *

We spent the rest of the day at the beach. We drove back to the resort and mom and Cam were making dinner tonight. Troy and I hopped in the shower together. Troy was washing my hair. "I can't believe I'm going to be 19."

"I can't believe I'm dating an older woman."

I laughed. "I'm a cougar."

Troy chuckled, turning me around so I can rinse out my hair. He leaned in and kissed my lips gently. "I love you."

"I love you too." I squeezed all of the water out of my hair. I wished my body as Troy stood under the stream of water. We switched places again and I rinsed my body off. I leaned against Troy's chest and he was backed against the wall. I leaned in, kissing his lips slowly.

His hands trailed down my back slowly. He grabbed my butt, pulling me closer to him. He sat on the space where we put our shower products, knocking them all off. I straddled his legs, sitting on his lap. He brushed his fingers teasingly along my slit. He plunged one finger into me. I bit my lip, rocking my hips against his finger.

I wrapped my small hand around his length. I stroked him slowly. His eyes were down, watching my hand pump slowly. He removed his finger from me, rubbing my clit instead. I stood up, my body hovered over him. He kissed my stomach, swirling his tongue in my belly button. I walked away from him, turning the water off.

I smirked at him as I opened the shower doors, plucking my towel off the rack. I wrapped it around me and walked into our room. I tried to dry my torso off the best I could before I bent over and dried the water off my legs. "You're a naughty little tease Baby." Troy growled as he grabbed my hips pulling me against him.

"Am I?" I asked, turning my head to look at him. I switched legs, drying off the other one. His fingers trailed down my back.

He place small kiss in between my shoulder blades. I shivered, standing up straight again. Troy's fingertips trailed along my body, avoiding my boobs and in between my thighs. "You are, my love. But that's okay." I turned around to face him. He brought his hands up, rolling my hardened nipples in his fingers. "It's dinner time." He kissed my lips, before walking over to the dresser to put some clothes on.

I glared after him. Two can play that game. I smirked to myself. I got dressed as well and we walked out of our room to join everybody for dinner. I sat next to Troy, scooting in my chair. "This looks good mom." I told her.

"Thanks baby. Everyone eat up." Mom ordered. We served ourselves and we started eating. We were making small talk when my hand wandered over to Troy's thigh. "Gabi, Are you excited for your birthday?"

"Yeah, I'm really excited." I said, as my hand drifted up his thigh. I rubbed his half hardened length outside of his shorts.

"What do you want to do for your birthday?" Jack asked me.

I shrugged. "I'm not sure yet, bum out on the beach or go sight seeing or something. Right babe?" I looked over at Troy.

He was a little pale. He was almost completely hard against my hand. "Uh, right." He said, turning to glare at me. I was giving him an innocent smile. He hissed out a breath as I slipped my hand under his shorts. Everybody was looking at Troy weirdly. "That was a spicy bite." He said, clearing his throat.

"How did you like surfing CJ?" I asked him to get the attention away from Troy.

"Man, it was awesome! I want to go again." CJ started.

I nodded along as I continued eating. I pulled my hand out of his shorts. I kept my hand on his thigh, dragging my nails along his inner thigh. Troy's hand dropped to my lap. I was wearing shorts. He wasn't going to be able to get his hand inside of them so I put his hand on the strained erection in his shorts. I leaned over and whispered in his ear. "I'm ready for you."

He groaned quietly. Nobody noticed. Troy took one last drink of his juice. "That was good, thanks Cam and Marie." Troy got up quickly, putting his stuff in the sink.

"Are you going to watch a movie with us son?" Jack asked.

Troy washed his plate off, his back facing us. "Uh, not tonight. I'm going to go lay down. I'm pretty tired."

"Are you going to watch a movie with us?" Jack asked me.

"Yeah, sure." I said, smiling.

I got up and put my plate in the sink. "You're so mean." He said quietly.

I kissed his cheek gently. "Have a nice lay down." I walked over to the couch and took a seat. Everybody came and sat around me while we found a good movie to watch. I made it ten minutes into the movie before the guilt of leaving Troy in the bedroom washed over me.

"You can go, you know." Mom said as if she was reading my mind. She was stroking my legs that were in her lap.

"I feel bad that he's in there all alone." I said quietly.

"Go. We've seen this movie one hundred times." She said, pushing my legs off her lap.

I leaned over kissing her cheek. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight baby." She said after me.

I got off the couch and walked over to Troy and my room. I saw a lump under the comforter. I figured it was Troy so I jumped on it. It was way too soft to be Troy. "What the-" Somebody closed the door, locking it. They jumped on top of me and I turned around and Troy was on top of me, grinning evilly. "You planned this didn't you!"

He nodded slowly, leaning down to kiss my lips. "I was one step ahead of you babe." He mumbled against my lips. "Don't think you got away with all the teasing at dinner Gabriella Montez."

I grinned at him, running my fingers though his hair. "You know that was just a little innocent teasing baby." I cooed, pulling his lips down to meet mine. I kissed him softly.

"Right. Innocent." He grinned, sitting up and pulling me up to take off my shirt. He unhooked my bra, sliding it off my arms before he allowed me to lay back down. "We're just going to keep this innocent." He said, smirking at me. He took off my pants and the panties that I was wearing and he got up, leaving me on the bed naked.

"Where are you going?" I asked him.

"Just relax baby. I'll be right back." Troy said, walking out of the room. I sighed.

I fixed the pillows on the bed and slipped under the covers. I got comfortable and waited patiently for him. I rolled over to get comfortable when he came back in the room. He was drinking a cup of water. He locked the door.

"It took you fifteen minutes to get a cup of water?" I asked him.

"No, it took me two but I was watching the movie for a second." He said, taking another drink. "I've decided something."

"What's that?" I asked amused.

"We're not going to have sex until we get back home." He said.

"Yeah right." I said, smirking at him.

"I'm serious. No penetration but I guess we can do oral." He said, walking over to me.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Goodnight."

"Hey, hey, hey. No sleeping. Who said you could sleep?" He ripped the covers off me. He placed his cup on the side table. He pulled his shirt off and tugged down his jeans. His boxers followed and he was just as naked as I was.

"What are you going to do? Dry hump me?"

Troy laughed. "Tempting, but no." He straddled me, leaning down to kiss my lips slowly. He pushed his tongue in my mouth, pressing his chest against mine. He moved his mouth away from mine, kissing down my neck slowly.

I felt something cold and wet press against my chest. I gasped quietly. "What-" He glided the wet object over my nipple. He sat up, moving the ice cube I didn't even hear him get, along my chest. I shuddered as he ran it over my other nipple, circling it around. It left a trail of water down my stomach. Troy licked the trail of water with his warm tongue.

I felt my eyes close, biting my lip. He sat between my legs spreading my legs. He bent my knees up. He sucked up the ice cube that was resting in my bellybutton. He sucked the water off of it before running it along my clit slowly. I closed my legs. "No, no, no." He said, spreading my legs apart again. "You're being naughty again." He softly smirked.

"It's cold!" I defended.

"Well it is ice." He smirked again.

"Smartass."

He pressed the ice against me again and he held my legs open. I covered my mouth with my hand. It was so fucking cold. "It's so hot, you're melting the ice." He said amazed as he pressed it against my opening. He put the ice back in his mouth. He rubbed my clit before slipping a finger inside.

"I thought you said no penetration." I said, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Who's the smartass now?" He asked, moving the ice around in his mouth. He pulled his finger out.

"Still you." I took the opportunity to close my legs.

Troy grinned. "You're just testing me, aren't you?" I shrugged, then tilted my head haphazardly. "Mmm." He hummed leaning down to kiss my lips. "That's okay."

He chewed up the ice in his mouth and climbed off me. He pulled his boxers on. "Can you pass me a shirt?" I asked him.

"Nope, you get to sleep naked tonight." Troy climbed back into bed with me. He pulled the covers over us, spooning me. He kissed the back of my shoulder. "I love you."

"I love you." I said quietly. He pressed his cold hands to my bare stomach. He moved his fingers up to trace my hardened nipples. I bit my lip. I wondered how much teasing I could take.

* * *

Thankfully the next day I was spending the whole day with my mom. I took a shower and put a bathing suit on. I put shorts on and a tank top. Mom and I were eating breakfast on the beach. She had some stuff packed and we walked down to the beach. We took a seat in some chairs. We ate our bagels with the ocean as our background music.

"How are you liking Hawaii?" Mom asked me.

"I love it here." I said, putting a foot under the other leg. "What about you?"

"It's quite peaceful. It's just what we needed before you left for college." She looked over at me. "You don't really understand what your parents are going through when you go off to college until you're a parent yourself. You have this little baby that you love more than anything in the world. You try to do what is best for them even though it doesn't seem like it all the time. I'm not going to lie baby. The divorce hit me hard, but that made me want to work that much harder for you. I wanted you to be able to do whatever you wanted to do whenever you wanted to do it."

I sighed. "Mom."

"I know that's a little reckless, especially for a single parent. I know I wasn't perfect. I took way too many business trips. I left you alone for too long. I didn't talk to you as much as I should have. But I tried my hardest to be there for you when you were reaching out for me. I hope you know how much I love you because you are everything I wanted to be at your age. I look up to you because you're brave, you have a big heart and you look beautiful, even with your head shaved." She said with a smile.

I laughed, wiping the tears from my face. "You made me get tears on my bagel."

She got up and sat next to me. "I'm sorry baby." She kissed my forehead.

"I love you mama. You're amazing. You have nothing to be sorry about. You did the best you could. I never resented you for leaving me alone. In fact I kind of liked being by myself. You were always there when I needed you and that is most important to me. It unfortunate how much time I spent focused on negative things. But it all happened for a reason. I'm happy you got to move around a lot. I got to travel. I got to reinvent myself every couple of years. It took eighteen years but I've finally found someone I'm content being and I can't thank you enough for that." I cuddled against my mom.

"You are the best thing that's ever happened to me."

I smiled to myself. "And so is Cam and my brothers. You deserve all the happiness in the world. I'm glad you finally are."

"You do too babe. I love Cam and I love the boys. They're like the sons I never had. I know Chris is close with his mom but I feel like I am a second mom to him and to CJ. Cam says the love me and look up to me but I wish I could show them how much they mean to me." She said.

"You should spend the day with them and Troy. That's what we should do on Thursday! I'll hang out with Jack and Cam and you can hang out with the boys." I looked over at her. "Did you decide what we were going to do for my birthday?"

"Baby, it's your birthday you can decide." Mom said, stroking my hair.

I nibbled on my lip. "How about we all meet for lunch? I think I want dinner just to be Troy and me."

She smiled. "That's fine. So you're going to take him out to dinner for your own birthday?"

I laughed. "No, I'm going to make him take me somewhere nice."

Mom laughed at me. "You have that boy wrapped around your finger."

"I sure do mama."

* * *

**I feel like the HSM fandom disintegrated in the last few weeks. It's weird, but i don't know, i'll be here still i guess. I still have all these stories i'm working on and i don't want to give them up. I don't have school today and i'm trying contacts for the first time so my eyes feel different. But i can't take a nap until four when i have to take them out. lol. I'll do somewriting. I'm finally starting to finish up this story. It's been a long time comming. 60 long chapters (i'm assuming of course.) If anybody out there wants to read something new soon, i can probably put something up on friday when i get home. Lemme know. I love you guys. Don't forget to review.**


	47. Horses

"You have a nice dinner, okay? We're going to stay in and go swimming at the pool or go down to the beach. I'll have my cell if you need anything, okay?" Mom said, standing beside the van.

I was surprised they were actually letting us take the van. Troy was driving and we were going somewhere then going to a nice dinner. It was a surprise, of course. I was nineteen today. This was my last year of being a teenager. It was scary. The future, leaving for college, being out on my own. It was scary but I was ready for it all. I was ready for whatever life wanted to hand to me.

"Yeah mom, We've got it. We'll see you when we get back." I said.

"Alright, be good. Be safe. I love you guys. Happy birthday. Drive safely."

"Bye Marie." Troy said, chuckling.

"Bye Mom." I waved to her. "Go, please, before she never lets us leave."

"I heard that!" Mom said, frowning.

I giggled. "Go." Troy started driving and I waved to my mom out the window. I took a deep breath and relaxed. We drove for a little while with the windows rolled down. "Where are you taking me?"

"It's a surprise." He said, glancing over at me.

"Just tell me, please? I've had more than enough surprises. Let's start off my nineteenth year of living not with a surprise." I said, putting my hand on his knee.

He frowned at me. "You're a fun killer."

"Sometimes." I said with a small smirk.

"Horseback riding." He said flatly.

"Really?!" I asked excitedly. "I've never been Horseback riding before."

"I thought it would be romantic." He said, with a smirk.

I smiled at him. "It would be very romantic. Too bad we aren't having sex. I might have considered sneaking out and going down to the beach tonight but we aren't having sex." I said, turning to look out the window.

He huffed unhappily. I grinned in satisfaction. Hopefully I was going to make him crack before I do. I turned back to face him and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "You're beautiful." He said, glancing at me again. He smiled, slowing down to a stop behind the car in front of up. He kissed my lips gently.

I rested my head against his shoulder. "You're the best boyfriend ever, did you know that?"

"I'm the best boyfriend because I have the best girlfriend." He said, rubbing my knee, pressing on the gas.

I smiled, letting out a content sigh. "Look at us. We're so cute it's disgusting."

"I know." He agreed. He burst out laughing.

I looked at him weird. "Why are you laughing?"

"Because… look at us. We're have the most ridiculous relationship." He said, grinning at me. "We fight like no other, we do the weirdest and most random things… I don't know. We're just weird."

I laughed. "This is true."

"We will probably always be like this though." He said, smiling.

"Probably… I can't wait to go horseback riding." I was staring to get excited all over again. "Do you think we'll be able to go on the beach? That would be awesome. Ooh, or maybe up the volcano."

"I don't know baby, we'll have to go and see. I'm glad you're excited babe. I really can't wait to see you on a horse." Troy smirked at me.

"I can't wait to see you on a horse." I said, smirking back at him. "You're balls are going to be squished."

His eyes widened. "Fuck. I didn't even think about that."

"I'm sure whoever is instructing us will give you tips on how to save your balls." I laughed to myself. He was so ridiculous. I kissed his shoulder and leaned my head against his as we turned down a dirt road. "Babe, are you sure you know where you're going?"

"Yes dear, I know where I'm going." He said, rolling his eyes. "In fact, we're practically here."

I shrugged my shoulders, checking the time on the dashboard radio. I closed my eyes for a moment just before the van stopped. "Are we here?"

"Yeah."

I sat up and looked around. We were at a little ranch with a lot of horses. The smell finally caught up to me. I guess I didn't really notice it until now. "I'm glad I brought tennis shoes too." I said.

I changed my shoes and we got out. Troy talked to the owner of the ranch and he showed us around. We met up with an instructor. He looked like the typical American cowboy. He was very tan though. His name was Marty. We got introduced to our horses, mine was named Clementine and Troy's was Billy.

Clementine was a beautiful white horse, she was huge but graceful. We got to brush and bond with them a little before we went to ride. Marty helped me put the saddle on. "You're going to get up and I'm going to walk around a little bit."

"Okay." I said breathlessly. "Just tell me what to do."

"Alright." He said. He checked the security of the saddle before I actually got on. "Ready?"

I nodded. "Yeah." I put my left foot in the stirrup and pulled myself up. I swung my leg over and shifted to the most comfortable position, slipping my other foot into the other stirrup.

"You're a natural, cowgirl." Marty winked at me. The man was at least forty years old and shamelessly flirting with me. I looked over at Troy who was talking to his horse. That boy and animals. He was weird one, but he was mine. I wouldn't trade him for anything. "We're just going to walk."

Marty pulled my attention away from Troy, walking around the pin the horse set in a nice pace. "All were going to do is walk, right?" I asked him.

"Yes ma'am. We're going to take a nice walk up and around those mountains a little bit." The man said. "I'll show you some nice spots." He lead me back over to Troy. "You can walk around while I saddle him up."

I nodded, I lead the horse into a steady walk the way Marty taught me to. These horses were very well trained, they probably went on walks like this a couple times a day. They were beautiful and I was so glad Troy decided to do this for us. I leaned down, petting her neck. "Good girl Clementine, let's go see how the boys are doing."

We made our way back over to the boys and I watched Troy get on the horse. I laughed a little to myself cause he was having a hard time. He finally got on and got settled. I took Clementine for another walk around the pin as Marty lead Troy and Billy behind me. We stopped back where we were and Marty got on a horse that another worker just finished prepping.

I held onto the reins and we walked out on the horses in a single file. Marty lead us over to the mountain. I caught up to Troy. I rode beside him on Clem. "This is so awesome." I said, smiling at him. "This is one of the best birthday's ever."

He smiled at me. "I'm glad baby. This is really cool. My balls aren't hurting yet, so that's a plus." I laughed at him, shaking my head. He smiled, sighing. "This place is beautiful."

"I know. Everything is so calm here. I love it. It's like there's nothing that could go wrong." I said, running my fingers along the leather of the saddle beneath me. "Paradise."

Troy nodded in agreement. "It's paradise because I'm here with you."

"There you go, being cheesy again.." I teased, smiling at him briefly. I looked in front of me. We made it around the mountain into a woodsy area. We were met by the sound of rushing water. We pulled up to a waterfall. "wow." I said breathlessly.

"This is one of my favorite places. Not many people know about it so we gotta keep this to ourselves alright?" Marty said winking at me. I rolled my eyes. He lead us down the river to where the river and the ocean meet.

I gasped. "Troy, look we get to ride on the beach."

He grinned at my excitement. "It's almost sunset too."

"So romantic." I sang teasingly.

"You know I'd do anything for you baby." He sent me a wink and I bit my lip in response.

"So are y'all just on vacation?" Marty asked, interrupting our little moment.

"Yep, We graduated high school back in June. We're having out last vacations with our families before we headed off to college." Troy explained.

"Where are you going to school?"

"Berkeley"

"Stanford."

He raised his eyebrows, impressed. "Both difficult schools to get into. Congratulations."

"And We're here today because it is her birthday." Troy said looking at me.

Marty grinned. "Y'all didn't tell me that. Happy birthday little lady. How old are you?"

"Nineteen." I answered.

"We should be heading back. It won't be too long until it get's dark." Marty said.

"Wait! Can you get a picture of us, on the horses?" I asked him.

He got off his horse and handed me the reins. All three horses stood side by side. He took a picture of us on my phone and handed it back to me. I thanked him, handing him the reins. We headed back towards the ranch. I took a quick picture of the waterfall as we walked by again. We made it back to the ranch and my thighs were getting a little sore.

* * *

Once we were at the stables I got off Clementine. Marty helped me with the saddle, putting it away. I brushed Clementine again before saying goodbye to her. I lead her back to her stable and gave her an apple. Troy was putting Billy in the stable next to Clementine's. Once we locked the horses up, I wrapped my arms around Troy.

"You ready for dinner baby?" He leaned down, kissing my lips slowly.

"Yes, I'm starving."

"Good." He smiled, pulling away from me. "Come on."

He lead me over to the office and had to talk to the owner again. When he was done talking we walked over to the van. "We aren't going anywhere fancy are we?"

"We sure are baby." He said, getting into the van.

"I'm pretty sure we both smell like horse, so I don't think that's very appropriate for a nice restaurant." I said, closing the door after I got in. I buckled my seatbelt as Troy backed up to turn around.

"We'll be fine baby, promise." He assured me.

"Okay." I said shrugging. If something went horribly wrong at dinner then I could blame him. He wouldn't let me down though, especially on my birthday. I sniffed myself. I guess I didn't smell that bad. I leaned over and sniffed Troy. Neither did he.

We pulled up to a restaurant about a half hour on our way back to the resort. "We're going to have to change in the car." He said looking over at me. "Are you up for the challenge?"

I nodded my head. "We have a van, it shouldn't be that bad." I unbuckled the seatbelt and climbed in the back. I found my bag and pulled out a nice dress. I got changed into my dress. I found my hells and slipped them on. I let my hair down, shaking it out. I put some lipstick on before I watched Troy get dressed.

I popped my lips as we got out of the van. Troy made sure he had everything before we walked in. He locked the van and held my hand as we walked into the restaurant. "We have a reservation, under Bolton." Troy said, adjusting the collar of his polo.

"Your table is ready, follow me." The hostess said, leading us to the table.

Troy pulled out my chair for me and I took a seat. "Thank you."

He grinned in response, sitting across from me. "Your waiter should be with you soon."

We nodded and I turned my attention to him. "Today was really fun."

"I'm glad you had fun. You deserve a great birthday babe." He caressed my hand with his thumb.

"Hi, I'm Cedric, I'll be your server today. What can I get you to drink?" He asked us.

"I'll just have water, please." I said, releasing Troy's hand to actually look at the menu.

"And I'll have a coke." Troy said, looking at the menu.

"Can I get you started with anything?" Cedric, the waiter, asked.

Troy and I looked at each other briefly. "No, thank you."

"I'll give you a little time with the menus before I take your order." He smiled and walked away.

"Do you want to know something funny?" Troy asked me.

I raised my eyebrows. "What?"

"Every guy that we've talked to, ever, as a couple was jealous of me." He said smugly. "I'm the luckiest guy in the world because I have you."

I shook my head at him. "As you can tell by now, being cheesy doesn't mean you're getting lucky."

Troy chuckled. "Damn it, that's what I was aiming for." He joked.

"Coming for the man who decided we wouldn't have sex for the rest of the trip." I smirked at him.

We enjoyed our food with nice conversation that avoided the topics of college, moving, and California. This had really been the best birthday I've had in a long time. I'm glad I got to spend it with Troy. He always plans the best dates. I watched him take the last sip of his soda when the waiter placed a slice of cake with a candle in front of me.

"We've got a birthday over here! One… two… three…. Four! Happy Birthday to you!"

"Oh god." I covered my face in embarrassment.

Troy chuckled at me and sang along. "Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Gabi. Happy birthday to you!" He cheered, clapping loudly at the end of the song. I sunk lower in my chair trying to hide. "Blow out your candle babe."

I uncovered my face, blowing out the candle. I sighed at my boyfriend and he just grinned innocently. I pulled the candle out of the cake and handed him a fork. "You're lucky I'm a sucker for chocolate cake."

Troy frowned. "I thought you didn't eat cake and you were going to give it all to me."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Hell no! It's my birthday. You're lucky I'm even sharing the cake with you. My inner fat girl is about to come out."

"That I'd like to see." He said, picking up some cake with his fork. He shoved the fork in his mouth and moaned. "This is amazing."

I dug into the cake, putting it in my mouth. "Fuck. You're right."

We practically fought to the death over a measly piece of chocolate cake. It was so damn good we considered getting another slice. We decided against it. Troy paid the bill and we walked back to the van. We were headed back to the resort but the night was still young.

"What are we doing now?" I asked him.

He concentrated on driving. "We're going back to the resort."

"No shit. After that." I deadpanned.

"We can go night swimming." He said, glancing over at me.

I smiled. "That will be nice. I think the water will still be warm."

"Probably." He licked his lips.

I sighed in content. "I can't wait to get in." There was a pair of headlights going in the other direction coming up. The road has been pretty flat, we were just a couple minutes away from the resort. As we got closer the headlights were pointing toward us. My chest tightened. "Troy!" I reached over for him.

* * *

The last thing I remember was Troy putting his arm out in front of me just like I was doing to him. I didn't even remember what color the car was. All I remember was bright lights and that's all I woke up to. Bright lights and the sterile smell of a hospital. I automatically wiggled my toes. I felt the sheets covering me. I wasn't paralyzed. I wiggled my fingers. I felt something on my left arm along with a dull pain. My head was pounding like the first bad hang over I had a couple weeks ago.

I didn't feel like moving. I took a deep breath and I felt fine other than my head and my arm. I didn't want to wake up. "Where is she?" I groaned inwardly. "I'm her goddamn mother, you better let me see my child." I didn't feel like talking to my mom. Where the hell was Troy? Was he okay? "Oh Gabi! My baby, you're alright. Thank god." She grabbed my hand and smoothed down my hair.

I opened my eyes and looked at her. She had crazy worried mom eyes. "Where's Troy?"

"Oh you're awake! How are you feeling? What can I get you?" She asked me.

"Where is Troy?" I asked again quietly.

She frowned. I automatically thought the worst. "He's three rooms down. He has a cast on his arm and he broke his leg. Jack said he should be fine."

I let out the breath that I was holding. "Thank god. Your face… I thought…"

"He's fine baby really. He woke up before you did. He's been asking for you. They just finished putting your cast on so I haven't been able to see you." She said squeezing my hand.

"Where are the boys and Cam?" I asked her.

"Outside waiting."

"Bring them in. I want them in here with me." I said, sighing. "Well after the doctor pokes and prods me. I'm sure they'll do that first."

"I'll get the doctor. I just want to let you know I love you."

"I love you too mom."

She walked out the door and I closed my eyes again. I groaned out loud. "Hello, I'm Dr. Warner, Can I get your name and birthday please?"

I opened my eyes and sighed. "Gabriella Montez. August first."

He checked with the charts. "Good, Happy birthday."

"It's been so happy." I said sarcastically.

"It's okay, she's naturally grumpy." Mom said from behind the doctor.

"So she's not out of character and she doesn't have memory loss. She has a mild concussion. It will only feel like you have a headache so I'll get you something for that and your arm. You have a fractured Ulna and you will have that cast for a couple of weeks." Dr. Warner said. "You should be on your way tomorrow."

"Are you taking care of Troy too?" I asked him. He nodded his head. "I know you can't tell me much, but can he come home tomorrow too?"

"Troy will be fine and yes, he'll be going home with you." The doctor confirmed. "Let's get all these wires out of you and you can sit up."

He checked me over once while he took the needle out of my hand. Once he okayed, I got up and went to the bathroom. I changed into some bottoms that mom brought me and took a seat back on the bed. Mom brought in Cam and the boys. They were going back to the resort for the night. I didn't want to be alone.

I got up, keeping my cast close to my chest. I walked down the hall. Hopefully he was three room to the right of me. I opened the door and peaked my head in. I heard the TV buzzing softly. I saw a cast on the foot of the person laying in bed. I closed the door behind me and walked further into the room.

"You're not supposed to be in here." I looked up to see Troy looking at me from the bed.

"I know but I don't want to be alone." I stood there for a minute before walking over to him. I stood by his bed before I burst into tears.

"Hey, hey, come here. Get in." He moved his blankets and I climbed into bed with him. I sobbed into his shirt. "Shhh, it's alright."

"How did this perfect day turn out so horrible?" I asked him, my words muffled by his shirt.

"I don't know baby, I don't know."

* * *

**gotta throw in some drama. ;) Happy friday my little love muffins! I get to see Lady Antebellum tonight! SO excited! See y'all tomorrow, maybe. Don't forget to review!**

**(PS- The second chapter of Just Friends is up, if you wanted me to continue that story, go read and review! Love You guys.)**


	48. House

I, of course, got in trouble for getting out of bed. I didn't want to be alone, but they made me go back to my room. Troy had me calmed down but they got me worked up putting me in a room by myself. They turned off the lights, hoping to decrease my anxiety. I just wanted to be with Troy.

I didn't sleep the whole night. I stayed up watching reruns of Friends and whatever else was on Nick at Nite. A nurse informed me I would have to give a statement on what happened tomorrow. I wasn't ready for that. I didn't want to talk to them. I wished I knew where my phone was. I picked up my room's phone and punched in Troy's room number.

"Hello?"

"I can't sleep." I said quietly. "I don't want to be alone."

"Baby, it's four thirty."

"I know. I'm sorry. I'll go." I sighed.

"No it's fine, I couldn't sleep either actually. I could barely reach the phone. Dad is worried about college. He's worried that I won't be healed in time for the beginning of the season." Troy said. "I don't care about basketball. I felt like my life flashed before my eyes. I hadn't done anything I longed to do."

"Like what?"

"Go travel. Backpack through Europe for my mom. Go help people in third world countries. I just want to do so much and I don't know if I'll have the time to do it." Troy elaborated.

"You'll have plenty of time baby. We're a little broken right now but once we get fixed up. We'll get out of here, go home, then go to college." I said softly. "We have the rest of our lives to do whatever we want."

"Not necessarily. I practically killed both of us today. Who knows how long we have."

"Don't you dare blame what happened to us today on you. We both know damn well that it was not your fault. You were awake. You weren't drunk. You were driving the speed limit. You were wearing your seatbelt." I stressed. "Something's are inevitable Troy. Everything happens for a reason."

"Yeah…" He said sounding defeated. "I'm going to try to sleep, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight." I said softly.

"Night." He replied before he ended the call.

I put the phone back on the receiver. I curled up in my bed. I closed my eyes, hopefully letting my brain calm down enough to sleep for a little bit. I woke up screaming from a bad dream. I looked at the clock. It was about five thirty. I'd only been asleep for about an hour. I sat up in my bed. I was ready to go back to the resort.

* * *

I sat alone until the doctor came in twenty minutes later. He did a quick check up on me. He gave me some more pain medication and ordered me some breakfast. The next knock on my door was the nurse bringing in my breakfast. I ate most of it to calm down my achy stomach. The pain meds weren't fun to take on an empty stomach. The third knock on my door was my mom who had brought me a change of clothes.

"Thanks mom." I told her again as I walked out of the bathroom with my clothes on.

"No problem. You're not going to be able to go swimming for the rest of the trip. The doctor said no physical activity either." She told me.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm sure it'd be hard to have sex with three clunky casts in the way."

"I'm just saying." She said defensively. "Thankfully I got insurance on the rental and they replaced it with a new one. So we have a new van. I got that taken care of before I got here. Cam and the boys are spending the day trying to relax."

"They don't need to worry about me. I'm fine." I told her. "Neither do you. I'm still grumpy ol' Gabi. I'm just ready to sleep in my own bed. Or at least the resort bed. I hated being in here by myself."

She frowned. "Sorry baby. I could have stayed you know?"

"I wanted you to relax too. We're still on vacation. Me and Troy can take care of each other. I'm less broken than he is. Besides, we both have one good arm so we can do stuff like a normal person can." I said optimistically.

She laughed. "I'm your mother. I will always worry about you. I called your father." I groaned. "He has a right to know what's going on."

"He's going to call me all the time now. I was just getting content with my bi-weekly phone calls."

She rolled her eyes. "You can call him back when you get to the resort."

"Excuse me, we're looking to speak with Gabriella Montez." Two big men walked into the room in uniform.

"That's me." I said, holding up my cast.

"I'm Marie Montez, her mother. What can we help you with officers?" Mom said. She changed into business mode. Or mama bear mode, I couldn't tell.

"We just need a statement from Gabriella about the accident, then we'll be on our way." One of the officers said.

"Let's just get this over with." I said sighing. I sat the bed upright and covered my lap with my blanket.

"I'm Officer Douglas O'Brien and this is my partner Officer Ross Kingston." The officer took a seat in the doctor's chair. "We're just going to ask you a couple questions."

I nodded. "Okay."

"You were sitting in the passenger seat, correct?"

"Yes. My boyfriend, Troy Bolton was driving."

"Where were you going?" The other asked.

"We were driving back to the resort from the restaurant we just ate at."

"Any occasion?" Officer O'Brien asked.

I blinked at them. "It was my birthday. Troy took me horseback riding. We went out to dinner then we were coming back to the resort."

"Okay, did you see the car coming toward you?"

"I saw it coming but it was on the correct side of the road when I saw it. I don't remember what it looked like though. The headlights were pretty bright." I said, rubbing my forehead.

"Were you and Troy under the influence of any illegal substances?" Officer Kingston asked.

"No. We weren't partying. We didn't do any drugs or drink. We just had a nice dinner to celebrate my birthday." I said, my head started to pulse again.

"I think that's the only questions we have." One of the officers said, looking at each other. "Do you have any questions for us?"

I licked my lips, nodding. "Is the other person okay?"

"Their still in the ICU, thankfully there was no one else in the car." Officer Kingston said.

I nodded my head. "Thank you."

"Thank you for your time, Ms. Montez. We'll call you for any further questions." They walked out of my room and I closed my eyes.

"Are you okay?" My mom asked me.

"My headache is coming back." I sighed. "Can you get the doctor for me?"

"Sure baby." She walked out the room and came back in a minute later. "He should be in here soon."

"Thanks. Hey Mom, Do you have my phone?" I asked her curiously.

"They gave me a bag of stuff that was in the car I can look through it." Mom said, walking around the room to her things.

"Hey Gabriella. How are you feeling?" Dr. Warner asked, walking into the room.

"I have a headache and I'm ready to leave." I said sighing.

"Well I'll get you something for your head and check you out before you get your discharge papers." The doctor said, noting something in my chart. "I'll be back with your medication."

He came back as quickly as he left with two pills and a glass of water. I took them while he checked me out again. He left to get my discharge papers and my mom handed me my phone. "Thanks ma." I said, trying to turn it on. "It's dead." I sighed.

"I have Troy's too." She pulled out his phone. "We can give it to him once we've signed you out of here."

"I think we need to invest in some sleeping pills." I rubbed my eyes. "I got an hour of sleep last night."

She frowned. "We'll see how you sleep when we get back, okay?"

I nodded my head. Mom signed the papers and I was officially discharged. She went over to the pharmacy to pick up my medication and I walked over to Troy's room in my sling. He was learning how to use one crutch with his good arm. I had changed into some shorts and a tank top that my mom brought me.

"Hey Gabi, how are you feeling?" Jack asked me.

"I'm okay, how is he doing?" I asked, walking over to him. He hugged me tightly.

"He's alright. Ready to get going." Jack said with a sigh. "You guys always have to get into trouble don't you?"

I laughed. "You have no idea. Do you want to sign my cast?"

He chuckled. "Sure." I handed him the black sharpie my mom bought for me. The thought it would be fun to sign it. I took my arm out of the sling to let Jack sign it. He left to go sign discharge papers and I sat next to Troy on his bed.

"Hey." He said softly.

I leaned my head against his shoulder. I didn't say anything for a moment. "Ready to leave this place?"

"More than ready." He sighed. "I couldn't fall asleep again."

"Me either. I think I had a nightmare. All I remember is waking up screaming." I admitted quietly.

"I'm sorry for getting us into this mess."

"You have no reason to be sorry. It's not your fault Troy. Nobody is blaming you but yourself." I reached over and held his good hand. He looked down at me and I kissed his lips slowly. "Let's go back to the resort and we can sleep okay?"

He nodded. "Okay."

We gathered our things and we walked out of the hospital together. Mom had pulled up the second van and we climbed in the back. The put one of the middle seats down so Troy could put his leg up. I buckled my seatbelt and tried to sleep on the short ride back. I helped by grabbing some of my things with my good arm. I walked down to our villa and put my things in my room.

Troy came in a little after me, putting his crutch next to the bed. He pulled the covers back, laying down on the bed. He let out a deep breath as he relaxed against the bed. I crawled into bed with him. I curled up on his left side, putting my cast under his on his chest.

* * *

The Hawaii trip wasn't that fun anymore since we were in casts. We mostly stayed inside watching movies. We hadn't slept much. We talked for most of the night about everything other than his mom and the accident. He was thinking about doing the first year of college then studying abroad for his second year then joining the Peace Corps. I was a little scared that he was thinking about being gone for three years. But if it was what he wanted to do than I had to support him.

We made it back to Albuquerque safely. Mom and I were leaving in a few days to drive our cars down to California. That meant I had to decide what I wanted to take and get the rest of my stuff. We got a small trailer to put all of our stuff in the car. Cam decided to come with us while the boys spent the couple days we were gone with their mom. He would be driving my moms car and my mom would be driving me in my car.

Everything was packed and ready to go the night before we were leaving. Troy and Jack were doing the same thing but they were leaving a couple hours after us. I walked over to Troy's house. I wanted to see how he was doing with packing with one good arm and one good leg. I walked in the house and Jack was sitting on the couch.

"Hey Gab." He said without even looking up.

"Hey Jack." I walked up stairs and opened Troy's door. He was trying to tape a box closed. "Hey." I said softly. "How's packing coming along?" I knelt down beside him, holding the box with one hand as he taped it closed.

"Thanks. It's coming along slowly but surely." He said. "I only have a couple more boxes left then I have to get it down the stairs somehow."

He stood up slowly, collapsing on the bed. "I can help you, I can get Cam over here too before we leave tomorrow." I took a sat next to him rubbing his back. "Just a couple more weeks and we'll be back to normal."

"A couple weeks too long." He grumbled.

I leaned down and kissed his lips gently. "I feel your pain. Literally." He gave me a tired smile. "Let's get ready for bed."

"Only if you give me a sponge bath." He said winking as I helped him up.

"Of course, come on." I patted him butt encouragingly.

We walked into the bathroom and I covered his leg cast and his arm cast. I sat him in the bathtub with his leg hanging out. I grabbed the shower head and soaked him down a little bit. I handed him the washcloth while I scrubbed his hair. I rinsed him off and helped him up. I took the covers off his cast and wrapped a towel around him.

He walked into his room and I grabbed him a clean pair of boxers. He dried himself off and pulled his boxers on. I got him settled into bed while I continued packing for him. "You know when you said 'let's get ready for bed' I thought you were going to come lay with me." Troy said, watching me from his bed.

"I thought I might finish up before tomorrow." I said, putting the box down. "But I'll lay with you."

"Good, come here." He held his arms out the best he could. I smiled and crawled into bed with him. "Hey, did your mom ever get you're your graduation present yet?"

"No. I doubt she ever will." I said, cuddling against him.

"Maybe it's in California?" He suggested.

"Maybe. Are you excited to see your dorm?" I asked him, rubbing his bare chest lightly.

Troy shrugged. "Kinda. It'll be weird living with another dude that I don't know."

"That's true. I just hope I like my roommate." I said sighing. "Or I hope they like me at least."

"I'm sure they will. You know we'll be fine." He murmured into my ear.

"I should go, I think my mom was expecting me home." I said, sitting up.

"She knows you're here, just stay until for a little bit longer okay?" He pleaded.

I sighed, nodding. "Okay."

I didn't want to stay. I didn't want him to know I wasn't sleeping still. I hadn't got more than an hour of sleep since the night before the accident. I got as comfortable as I could. I laid quietly next to him. I waited to hear him snore softly but he never did. "You haven't been sleeping either?" He asked quietly.

"No. I haven't." I rubbed my eyes.

"You could have called me, you know?" He reminded me.

"You could have called me too." I nudged him softly.

"I've been thinking, researching… etcetera." He started. "I think I'm going to stay three years. At Berkley. Go traveling for my last year, go all around the world. Then join the Peace Corps. They have a master/volunteer program. I could get my masters while I'm wherever I am helping out the world."

I smiled at him. "You're really going to do it huh?"

He smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I am. I'm excited to get these first three years over with."

"Me too. I have a good ten years ahead of me." I sighed. "When you come back I'll be in year seven."

Troy chuckled. "You are already practically done with your GE half done with your AA. You'll probably be one year away from your residency then."

I shrugged. "Maybe. I have to turn in all my credits and stuff this trip. I'll get my schedule and my books too."

He smiled at me. "We're practically adults now."

"Right? It's weird. I felt like I grew up a lot just in Albuquerque."

"You know what is ironic?" He asked with a slight chuckle.

I smirked. "What?"

"We leave for practically a month on our own and we're fine." He laughed. "When we go on a family vacation. We get hurt and come back broken."

"You can trust family vacations." I joked, laughing a little bit.

"I don't know why we can't sleep." Troy said sighing. "We're not that traumatized."

I licked my lips. "I am a little bit. I get weird nightmares when I sleep. First of you dying then me dying. Just bright lights." I shivered. "I'll be okay though."

"I have the same dreams." Troy rubbed his forehead with his good hand. "We're so fucked up."

I sighed. "Yeah. We can try to sleep again…. If you want."

Troy shook his head. "Nah, I'm good."

I smiled. "Good, me too. I won't want to sleep."

I got up when my phone started buzzing. Troy was still awake too. I gave him a quick kiss before I left. I walked over to my house. It was three in the morning and we were literally packed and ready to go. We hopped in the car, got coffee and headed off to our fifteen hour road trip.

Even with two one-hour stops we made it to the Bay Area by eight o'clock. I had took a little nap on the way but I woke up in a cold sweat. It didn't help that I was in the passenger seat and it was dark and there were headlights shining at me in the window when I woke up. Mom was so focused on driving she didn't really seem worried. We pulled up in front of a cute little house. Cam was backing the trailer into the driveway.

"Mom? Where are we? This isn't a hotel…" I said, looking over at her.

"I know it isn't baby. This is your graduation present." She said looking at the house.

"You bought me a house for graduation?" I asked, blinking at her.

"Yes. It's three bedrooms, two and a half baths." She said, smiling at me. "It's newly remodeled. This kitchen is beautiful and so are the hardwood floors."

"But…" I trailed off.

"It came with some furniture but I also bought some as well. Your dad helped me too. He wanted to find a nice suitable place for your to live. Let's face it babe. You're going to be here for nine months maybe even the whole year for the next 10 or so years. You need a stable place to live, to keep your things, and room for your mama to stay when she visits often."

I took a breath, taking this in. "This is going to be so much better than a dorm!" I grinned, getting out of the car.

Mom laughed as we parked and locked the cars. She lead us inside. "It's nice right?" Mom said.

"There's two living rooms." I said, coming back from my little exploration. "This is awesome mom!"

"And it's close to BART and the Free Way. Which reminds me I have your FastTrak for the bridge toll in my purse." Mom said grinning. Cam put his arm around her.

"Isn't she the greatest?" Cam said, kissing the side of my moms head.

"She's the best mom ever." I grinned at them. "We should order a pizza or something because I'm starving… and I have to pee." I walked off, exploring my new house. I opened the back bedroom door. I figured this would be my room because it was the master. It was a decent sized room. I opened a door and it was a walk in closet. I felt like I was in heaven.

I opened the second door and there was the bathroom. A glass shower and a separate bathtub. It was perfect. My mom knew me so well. She picked the perfect house. After I finished in the bathroom I looked at the other two rooms. They were a little smaller but they were still nice. There wes a washer and a dryer in the garage. The kitchen was perfect. I think I was going to like it here.

* * *

**don't forget to review.**


	49. Nightmare

_I watched as we drove by the palm trees. "We can go night swimming." Troy said from next to me._

_I grinned at him. "That'll be nice. I think the water will still be warm."_

"_Probably." He agreed, licking his lips. _

_I wanted to lean over and kiss him but I sighed instead. "I can't wait to get in." I saw the headlights coming right for us. I felt my chest tighten as they swerved into our lane. "Troy!" I screamed, reaching over to protect him. He did the same and the van crashed into the car in front of us. _

_His arm held me back but the airbags deployed. We both hit them pretty hard. I felt a sharp pain in my arm and my head slammed back against the head rest. I looked over to see Troy laying against the airbag, blood dripping from his mouth._

"_Troy!" I yelled for him again. I felt like everything was going in slow motion. I reached over for him, touching his neck. I couldn't find a pulse. "No, no, no, no, no." I felt as if I were crying but no tears were coming down my face. _

_All of a sudden I was standing outside the car, watching the firefighters rip open the van doors. They pulled my body out. "There's only one in here." One of the firefighters said._

"_No! Troy's in there too! You have to help him!" I yelled._

_They were just walking by me like I was invisible. "She's gone." Another one said._

"_Where's Troy? You have to find Troy!" I yelled again. I walked over to them putting my body in an ambulance._

"_Gabi." _

"_Troy?!" I looked around. I heard his voice. I swear it was his voice._

"_Gabi! Watch out!" Troy's voice said again. I turned around to see headlights coming up fast. I let out a scream._

My eyes shot open, I was still screaming. I panted looking around the room. "Gabi. Gabi, wake up. Are you okay?" Mom asked me. "You were screaming."

I felt like I couldn't move. My arm and my head were a little sore. My heart was pounding wildly in my chest. "Troy. Where's Troy?" I asked breathlessly.

"Troy's with Jack. They're on their way to Berkeley. They're fine." Mom encouraged. "Did you have a bad dream?" She asked rubbing my arm.

I looked over for the time. I forgot I was at the new house. My room wasn't set up yet. I picked up my phone to check the time. I was only asleep for an hour again. I laid back sighing. "Yeah. I've only been asleep for an hour."

Mom frowned at me. "Has it been like this all week?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I've gotten one hour of sleep every night. I have the same nightmare, except it a little different somehow."

I took a deep breath then letting it out. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I honestly thought it would pass." I said, sitting up in my new bed. "It sucks because this bed is really comfortable."

She gave me a soft smile. "Come on, let's get you something to eat."

"I'm hungry and my head hurts." I said, throwing the covers off me with my free hand.

"Let's go baby." Mom helped me out of bed. "Cam unloaded your things for you. You should go thank him."

I smiled. "I will."

Mom handed me a plate and I took a seat on the couch. I ate my food slowly. I threw the garbage away and got my purse out of the car and took one of my pain pills with a bottle of water. I walked out to the garage where mom was slowly bringing stuff in my room. Cam was closing up the trailer.

I looked around the garage. "Hey." Cam's voice caught my attention. "Do you like it?"

"The house? I love it." I said smiling. "Thank you for unloading my crap. I don't know what we'd do without you."

"You'd be lost. I'm very handy." He said chuckling.

"Since we didn't spend that much time together in Hawaii after the accident. When we get back home can we go r- roast some marshmallows." He looked at me confused. "Hey mom."

"Only a couple more boxes!" She said excitedly. We watched as she grabbed another and walked inside.

"Ring shopping." I finished correctly.

"Sure thing Gabi-girl." He wrapped me in a tight hug. "I'm glad you like it. Your mom wanted it to be perfect for you. We love you kid."

I smiled, pulling away from him. "I love you too Dad… Is it okay if I call you that?"

He grinned widely. "Of course. Nothing would make me happier." He gave me another hug and I rested my head against him. I felt Mom wrap her arms around us too.

"What's the group hug for?" Mom asked us.

"I was just telling Dad that I loved him." I said, pulling out of the hug.

She smiled at both of us. "You're going to make me cry."

I made a face at her, laughing. "We don't have time to cry. We have to set up my room." I said grinning. I walked inside and over to my room. Since orientation was technically tomorrow we had a day to get me unpacked like I would have if I was actually staying in a dorm. Cam left to go give back the trailer and Mom parked my car in the garage. It was a two car garage so it was a decent size.

We were putting my clothes in my closet when the front door opened. "Are you going to tell me what this place is now?" I heard a familiar voice say.

I looked over at my mom. "Whats-" She cut me off by putting her hand over my mouth. She shushed me quietly. What the hell was going on?

"This is your dorm." I heard Jack say.

My face lit up and I looked over expectantly at my mom. She nodded, smiling. I almost squealed but I didn't want to ruin the surprise. "This is a nice place." Troy said. I could hear his crutch tapping against the hardwood when he walked. "It has two living rooms. How cool. And it comes with pizza?"

Mom got up and helped me up. She walked me out of my room and into the kitchen. "Surprise." She said.

Troy jumped looking over at us. "Welcome to my graduation present." I said grinning at Troy.

"Did you know about this?" He asked me in disbelief.

I shook my head. "We got here last night and I couldn't believe it either. Come on. I'll show you our room." I took his good hand and helped him walk without his crutch. We walked into our room and I smiled at him. "We were in the middle of unpacking."

"It doesn't have to your both of your room. Troy, if you want there are two other bedrooms." Mom said, standing in the doorway.

Troy shrugged. "I don't mind. We'll probably end up sleeping in one bed anyway. Besides when you and Dad come down for holidays or visits you both have a room to stay in."

I smiled at my mom. This house just got so much better. "You should see the outside." Jack said.

"We haven't gone out there yet. It was too dark last night." I said, walking with Troy.

"I'm getting excited about college now." Troy said, grinning.

I leaned up and kissed his lips. "Me too babe."

We walked out the back doors and there was a slab of concrete with a basketball hoop. Troy's face lit up. "Oh man, I can't wait to get back on the court." His dad passed him a basketball. He dribbled it with his good hand and lifted it up to shoot. It went in the basket effortlessly.

"Once you get out of your casts, you'll probably going straight into basketball conditioning." Jack said. "We have to talk to your coach while you're here."

"Alright." He said. I got the basketball and handed it over to him. He shot another basket. We went back inside leaving the basketball in the middle of the grass area.

"When Dad gets back we can unload the truck." I said.

Troy raised his eyebrow at me. "He's dad now, huh?"

I nodded, smiling lightly. "He's done more fatherly things for me in the last five months than my father did for me in 19 years. I love my real dad but I love him too. He deserves to be called dad."

Troy grinned. "I'm happy if you're happy baby."

I wrapped my good arm around him. He kissed my forehead. I yawned against his chest. "I'm tired."

"Didn't sleep again?" I shook my head, no. "Me either."

"Cam's back! Let's get the stuff out of the truck." Mom said, walking out of the door.

We got everything out of the truck. We put our clothes away, fitting mostly everything in the closet. We'd have to buy a dresser to fit the rest. I put new sheets and a comforter on the bed. We put our stuff in the bathroom and left the rest of the room pretty bare for now.

* * *

The next day Mom, Dad and I went down to the school. I had to sit through a short orientation before I got my class schedule. I took a picture and got my ID. I met with a academic counselor to switch around a few things on my schedule. I met a few of my professors and went to the book store. I bought my books. We went back to the house. Turns out if I hopped on BART in the morning, there was a bus that would take me straight to school. That was good to know.

We got back and I was exhausted. It had been such a long day. Troy had beaten us home and he was half asleep on the bed. I needed a desk somewhere, I decided. I guess I could turn the second living room into a study area since we weren't going to have many visitors for the first few months.

Tomorrow we were going shopping for some furniture. I needed to find a dresser and a desk. I also had to unpack my computer and get a printer. I should make a list. I felt really unprepared. Mom also wanted to get a land line-just in case- and the cable needed to be installed. We were holding off grocery shopping until we moved in fully.

I was interested in exploring the area. I had to get used to living in this city. I wanted to find short cuts and back roads. I wanted to time how long it'll take to get to and from school. It sucks that I couldn't drive yet. I wouldn't be able to drive until I get my cast off and neither could Troy. We had to cars and we were shit out of luck.

I was a little nervous about the move. Now that Troy and I would be living together. I'd get to see him everyday. It was nice. I wouldn't have to worry about being apart from him. I was really happy. I was ready to grow up and be out on my own. I was ready to start my future.

We went furniture shopping the next day. We dropped Troy, Jack and Mom off back at the house. Cam and I were going out to lunch before going ring shopping. I don't think we were going to find the perfect ring, but I wanted to get an idea of what is out there.

Dad and I went to a restaurant for lunch. I was anxious to know everything about his plan. We got seated and ordered our lunch. I smiled at him and he looked at me suspiciously. "What?"

"How are you going to do it?" I asked him. "Are you going to do something special? Or are you just going to get down on one knee and do it?"

Dad chuckled. "I don't know yet Gab. I'm still thinking about it. Do you think your mom would like it if I did it a cheesier more unconventional way?" He asked me.

"Honestly, as long as you ask, she probably won't care. I'd stick with the classic ramble-about-how-much-you-love-them-get-down-on-on e-knee-and-ask way." I said, taking a sip of my water. "She's a sucker for romance so bring her something nice like flowers."

"Yeah…" He said deep in thought.

"I kind of want to be there though. I don't know if you should do a cheesy holiday proposal though." I said, looking at him.

"I was thinking on one of our anniversaries." Dad said.

"When did you officially get together?" I asked him, curiously.

"The 20th." Cam said. "February 20th."

"Six months coming up soon." I said, smiling. "I think you should do it at nine months or of your one year anniversary."

"Depends on how soon I get the ring. If it's here quick I'll probably do it quick. If it takes a while I'll probably wait a while." Cam admitted.

We got our food and started eating. "I was thinking we should just do classic silver band. Three stones maybe. I can't wait to actually look at them." I said excitedly.

"I did some research. All I learned was that I'm going to be broke after I buy this ring." He said, looking at me.

I laughed. "She wouldn't want a big rock. Just a nice simple stone."

"I know, but diamonds are expensive." He said, before taking a drink. "It should be fun to look though."

After lunch we went to a couple of jewelry stores to get a look at what kind of rings were out there. I think Dad was a little taken back by the variety of rings each store had. He found one he liked, I found one I liked and we agreed on one that my mom would possibly like. We didn't decide anything yet though.

We went back to the house. We were leaving tonight technically.. We had to leave bright and early so we can get to Albuquerque at a decent hour. That was fine with me. It's not like I was going to sleep anyway. Troy and I were laying down on our new bed, looking around our new room. It was so awesome that mom did this for us.

There was a tap at the door and mom was standing in the doorway, waiting for me. She walked in the room and gave Troy a kiss on the forehead. "Try to get some sleep hon, okay?" She said.

"I'll try." He gave mom a soft smile. "Love you, drive safely."

"Love you too Hon. Fly safely, I'll send Gabi over when we get home, okay?" She smoothed back his hair in a motherly way. Troy smiled at her. "We have to get going. Make sure you lock up the place, alright?"

"Will do." He got up out of the bed when my mom walked out. "Have a safe drive home."

I nodded. "I will, I'll distract myself by reading or something." I kissed his lips slowly. "I love you."

He grinned, kissing my lips again slowly. "I love you." He kissed my forehead. "Be good."

I smirked at him. "I'll try."

"Better go before they leave you." He said, spanking me gently.

"I wish I could fly back home with you, but oh well." I rolled my eyes. "See you later."

"Later, baby." I gave him one last kiss, grabbing my purse. I walked out the door and over to the car. I got in the back so I could stretch out.

We got back to Albuquerque around five in the afternoon. I felt like my lack of sleep was catching up to me. I felt like all my energy was drained. When we stopped at a store just before we got into town I bought something to help me sleep so I guess I'd test it out tonight. Like promised I went over to Troy's when we got home. He and Jack were eating dinner. I just said a quick hello before going back home.

Mom left to go get food. When she came back we ate and I went up to bed. My room felt a little empty but we were only going to be here for two more weeks before we move up to California for good. I yawned, getting settled into bed. I forgot some water. I climbed out and walked down to the kitchen. I grabbed a glass of water.

The front door opened then closed. I looked in the living room to see Troy walking over with his crutch. "Hey." I said, when he saw me.

"Hey, I needed to go for a little walk but I got tired half way over here so I thought I would come join you tonight."

I grinned. "Good, you can test out these sleeping pills with me."

"Goodie." He said sarcastically. "I can't wait to go to the doctors and get a boot over my cast so I can walk like a normal person. I'm already all fucked up."

"Come on." I held two bottles of water and helped him up the stairs. We made it to my room and he climbed into my bed. I grabbed the box and gave him two pills and ripped of two pills for myself. I put the box on my night stand and gave him a bottle of water. I got the pills out, taking them before downing a bottle of water.

Troy was struggling so I helped him, he did the same after I opened the water for him. I curled up next to him and I waited for the pills to take effect. I let out a deep breath, closing my eyes. A calm took over me. I could already hear Troy snoring from next to me. I smiled to myself, falling asleep against him.

I woke up actually feeling much better than I had in a long time. I looked over at Troy and he was still sleeping. I decided to let him sleep. I curled up against him, kissing his cheek before closing his eyes again. I just realized I didn't have any nightmares. Thank god for sleeping pills. I drew shapes on his chest and Troy woke up.

"That was the best sleep I've ever gotten." He said groggily.

"Me too." I sat up, looking over at him. "It's almost 11." I said, laughing, looking at the time.

Troy laughed. "I feel like Chad."

"Speaking of, where the hell has he been?" I asked Troy.

"He's been working out with U of A. He should be around soon. He said he was going to hang out before we leave." Troy rubbed his eyes. "I can't wait to get out of these things."

"I was just thinking the same thing." I said, looking over at him. "I have to take a shower."

"I would join you but I don't think we'll both fit comfortably with three casts in the way." Troy said, shaking his head.

"I'll give you another sponge bath after I'm done." I said, climbing out of bed.

"Alright." He said, laying back in bed.

I went to the bathroom and I covered up my arm cast. I got in the shower after stripping down. I took a quick shower, washing my body. I washed my hair the best I could with one arm. I got out and walked out to my room. I got dressed and helped bathe Troy.

When we got dressed, I helped Troy down stairs to get some breakfast for us. We weren't sure what we were going to do today. We were just hanging out on the couch after breakfast. My doorbell rang and Mom got up to get it.

"Gabi, your friends are here." Mom called out.

Troy and I looked at each other then looked up. "What the fuck happened to you guys?" Chad asked, walking in with Zeke, Jason, and Kelsi.

Troy laughed, shifting his leg. "It's a long story, bro."

* * *

**Don't forget to review!**


	50. Basketball

"Please don't go." Mom begged as she held my hand in the car.

"Mom, I have to leave sometime." I said, putting my arm back in the sling. I went to the doctors back here and they took another x-ray of it and re-cast my arm. I got a black cast this time. I had two more weeks until I had to go back to the doctors. Mom already found a doctor in California that was close by.

Troy was on the same flight out as me but he was leaving with his dad. Troy got a boot on his new leg cast and he got a smaller arm cast. I guess his break wasn't as bad as mine. We both had two more big suitcases to stuff and we had no idea how we were going to get those back to the house.

"No you don't, you can stay here. I'm sure Troy will still love you if you dropped out of college and lived with your dear old mama." She pleaded with me.

"Mom, you'll be fine. You have the boys and dad to take care of you. I'll be back to visit sometimes." I said, looking out the window. Our flight was in a couple hours and we were almost to the airport. "You can visit me too. That's why you bought the house, so you have somewhere to sleep when you do visit me."

She sighed. "I know, but I'll miss you."

"You won't think I'll miss you?" I asked, looking over at her. She was in the passengers seat getting ready to cry. Dad was driving and I was sitting in back.

"I know you'll miss me but I'll miss you more." She frowned.

"You'll be fine mama." I promised. "I'll be a phone call and a thousand miles away."

She sighed. "I know."

We pulled up to unload my bags. Cam helped me while mom tried to pull herself together. I got out and checked them in. Cam and mom drove off to go find parking. I got my ticket and put it in my purse. I waited outside for them to come back.

Troy and his dad pulled up in his dads car. I walked over to them and helped Troy out of the car. He didn't have his crutch anymore but he could only do so much. "Hey." He greeted.

"Hey, they're parking. I think I already made my mom cry." I said, sighing.

He walked over to the back and pulled one of his suitcases out of the trunk. He had a backpack on his back. I went with him to check his luggage in. Our parents caught up with us by then and we all walked inside together. We grabbed some lunch before Troy and I had to go through security.

* * *

We boarded the plane and flew an hour and a half into the Oakland Airport. We figured we'd just take BART home. We got off at the Union City station which was only a good two minutes from our house. We grabbed a cab from there and made it home without a problem. I unlocked the door to our house and we took our things inside.

It was going to be weird just living with Troy. It was very convenient because I'd always have someone to come home to. We'd get to conquer California together. We'd meet new friends but at the end of the day we'd be coming home to each other, something familiar. That was nice, starting in a new place. I've learned that from experience.

I checked on the cars and around the house. Everything seemed to be just the way we left it. Our new desk was sitting in the back living room and our dresser and other commodities were placed where we wanted them. All we had to do was unload what we brought from this trip but we had a whole week to start doing that. My first set of classes were on Tuesdays and Troy started early on Monday. We had a week to start making a schedule, go grocery shopping, figure out how we were going to get to and from school. It was nice to have a little leeway to figure it out.

The last week in Albuquerque we had a little going away party. It was really small because Zeke already left for France. Taylor and Ryan were already at their schools too. It was only really Chad, Sharpay, Jason, and Kelsi. It was nice to hang out with them one last time before we left for school.

My dad was calling me a lot too. He wanted to make sure I liked the house. I had everything I needed in the house. He'd come down and help out if we ever needed him to. He was worried about me from the accident. He was being fatherly but I had to prep myself for a full time 20 unit course load. I had to start pre-reading my text books, take some quick notes. I was basically a nerd. It was etched into my brain and I would feel unprepared if I didn't.

Troy had attempted to do what I was doing. He caught me on chapter three in my English textbook and made fun of me for an hour. He said it was too difficult doing a dry read. He needed a lecture to soften it up a bit. He would soon learn that sometimes he needed to teach himself- especially in college.

When I got to our room I called my mom to tell her we got to the house and safely. Troy was, well I wasn't sure where Troy was. I hung up with my mom and laid down on my bed. I could hear dribbling from the backyard and I found Troy.

I let him have some time alone before I got up to go check up on him. I opened the sliding glass door and shut it behind me. "Hey baby." I walked over to him.

He limped over to pick up the basketball that bounced down from the hoop. He picked it up and walked over to me. "Hey." He gave me a soft smile.

"Are you ready for the first of many nights in our new house?" I asked him, taking the basketball with my good hand. I bounced it a couple of times, shooting it in the hoop.

"It's kind of bittersweet." He said, stopping the basketball before we got too far.

"I guess you're right. We don't have a hammoc."

Troy chuckled and we took a seat on the slab of concrete. "That and I wanted to ravish you on the first night in our new house."

I smiled. "It would be awkward with our casts on." I said, slapping the black cast on my arm.

"You know this month will be the longest we've ever went without sex." He said, looking over at me. "Like in our relationship ever."

I laughed. "Yeah, that's true. I'm sure we'll have our dry spells."

"Hopefully not longer than this." He said, looking over at me.

"I'm sure we'll be so exhausted sometimes that we wont even be thinking about sex."

"I won't make any promises." I rolled my eyes and Troy rested his head against my chest. "I hope we never change."

"Me either." I whispered, stroking his hair.

He sighed, relaxing against my chest. "I lost my mom, I don't know if I can ever loose you too."

"You won't lose me, ever." I said firmly. "Even if we broke up. We'd stay friends no matter how awkward it is sometimes. I want you to be happy because you deserve to be. But we're not going to break up so you don't have to worry about it."

He leaned up and kissed my side of my jaw. "I want you to be happy. If you're never not happy then I would rather just be friends then causing you your unhappiness you know?"

I nodded. "Me too." I licked my lips. "What about when you leave to travel?" I asked, looking up at him.

He thought for a moment. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, okay? We have so much to focus on now. We don't need doubts of the future clouding our judgment."

I kissed his lips, pressing my nose against him. "We made it seven months already… what's another three years?"

He chuckled kissing me again. "Let's get up. I have a dead leg."

"Is it this one?" I slapped both of his legs and he winced. I laughed, getting up quickly, running inside of the house.

I watched him get up slowly from the kitchen window. He walked inside and I ran into the bedroom. I hid under the covers. I heard the click of his boot and I laid completely still. "You do know you're not a child and I can see the outline of your body on the blanket." Troy said chuckling.

I peaked at him and he was pulling his shirt off with one hand. "It was worth a try." I said, getting up. I went in the bathroom, getting ready for bed.

I walked back out and Troy was laying, naked on the bed with a pillow covering his penis. "Hey baby." He wiggled his eyebrows.

I burst out laughing. "I wish you could see how ridiculous you look right now." I shook my head at him.

"Come on Baby, we don't have to have sex. We can just cuddle… naked."

I rolled my eyes smiling to myself. I sighed. "You have to undress me though."

He grinned, getting up. He gave me a soft kiss. He lifted my shirt over my head. I had already taken my bra off when I changed in the bathroom. "Good thing you're half way there, right baby?" He kissed hungrily at my neck. He pulled down my panties slowly.

"We're just cuddling, remember? We still have our no sex bet going on."

"So you can still give me a BJ." He said, shrugging.

"I can break your other arm too." I said, looking at him seriously.

"Whoa feisty. We don't need to take such drastic measures." He said, running his hands along my waist.

I put my hair up. "I'll see what I can do." I glared at him. I crawled into bed and covered up with my blanket.

"I love you." He said, laying next to me. He kissed my bare back.

"I love you too Troy."

* * *

We started our first classes a week later. I was at school pretty much all day Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. By the time I got home I was honestly exhausted. We got our casts off after two weeks as we were promised. We'd spend most of our dates at a local gym to get back into shape.

Troy had started basketball workouts so he was gone all week. I was thankful for a quiet house. I had time to do my homework and concentrate on the knowledge I was learning. I knew Troy loved basketball but I felt like he was only playing for his scholarship.

Since the season hadn't started yet he still came home every night. We'd tell each other the horrors of the classes we were taking and the professors we had. We both could get a sense of somebody's personality. We knew if we'd like somebody or complain about them forever.

Mom called all the time. She was getting back to work, going all over the place. Everybody was coming out here for Thanksgiving because we promised we'd be home for Christmas. The boys and my dad would call me sometimes too; they'd check up on me and we'd catch up for a little bit. I missed people back home but I was starting to really like where we lived now.

I was, much to my surprise, making new friends quickly. I sat next to a girl named Monica in three of my classes. She reminded me of myself, we got along pretty well. I'd usually talk to whoever was sitting next to me to make the class go by quicker.

It was the second month of school and I had three papers due at the end of the week. I had already finished them so I e-mailed them to Cam so he can look them over for me. Perks of having an English teacher as your almost-step-dad.

Speaking of, Cam hadn't proposed yet. We did pick out a ring though. It took lots of negotiation and a lot of phone calls but it was perfect. I knew my mom would love it. It was the perfect ring and she would be stupid to say no. They were still making it so he wouldn't be getting it until next year.

I was making the revision to my third essay when Troy came in the house. He came in through the garage where we still parked my car and the truck. I mostly drove to school. Troy took BART because his truck was a gas guzzler.

"Hey beautiful." He said, dropping a kiss to the top of my head.

"Hey." I looked up at him and he gave me a quick kiss.

"I'm going to take a quick shower. What are we having for dinner?" He asked, pulling off his shirt.

I sighed. "Shit. I completely forgot about dinner. I was finishing up these essays." I rubbed my forehead.

"It's fine. It's Thursday. Let me take you out okay?" He kissed the top of my head. "Take your time on the paper, okay?"

"Alright." I said wearily, turning back to my laptop. It took another couple moments to finish up. I triple checked my last essay before I sent them to the professors which they were assigned. I printed out a copy of each just in case. I stapled them and put them in my binder. I put my binder in my backpack and took a breath of relief.

I heard the shower go off and I walked into the room. He came out in a towel and I went in the bathroom for a quick shower as well. We got dressed and Troy drove my car to a restaurant across town. We got seated at our table and ordered food and drinks. I sat back and looked across the table at my boyfriend.

"You know what's weird?" He said, looking at me.

"What?" I asked him.

"If feels like since we got our casts off somebody pressed the fast forward buttons on our lives." He took a drink of his water. "I know that we just started school and everything but its almost Halloween.""I know. It's crazy. We've been together for nine months already."

"We're really busy, but I'm glad I get to come home to you every night." He said reaching over for my hand. "I think if we would have stayed in dorms we'd have broken up by now."

"Probably, because we'd be so unhappy." I played with his fingers. "Everything is a little crazy right now but I'm happy. Are you still happy?" I asked, looking up at him.

He smiled, nodding. "I'm still happy. I have the most beautiful girlfriend in the world. Man if half of the basketball team saw you, they'd be so jealous of me."

I laughed a little bit. "Now that we started going to the gym again. I think I gained like seven pounds this summer."

He rolled his eyes. "Like seven pounds would kill you."

"If Shane saw me he'd kill me. He probably won't even recognize me. I took my piercing out. My hair is brown again. It's getting longer." I said, moving my damp braid to the front of my body. I played with the ends of it.

"You still look as beautiful as the day I met you." Troy started laughing. "With your 'that's what she said' sweater."

"I was so hot that day."

"I remember you telling me you didn't have a shirt on under it. I think that's when the sexual tension began." We both laughed quietly as the waiter brought us some chips and Troy's soda.

I licked my lips, thinking about when we first met. "I was very… impulsive."

"You still are. You're still the same person. You just let your walls down and made peace with people who haven't been so great to you." He played with my fingers. "I think you're stronger than you've ever been."

I smiled at him. "I think you are too. You're not just a pretty boy."

He smiled instantly. "Chad was so mad the first time you called him poodle. He ranted, literally, ranted about you for a good ten minutes."

I laughed. "I miss Chad. We get to see him at Christmas though."

"I miss him too. I think we play them during preseason… which starts soon." He said.

I frowned a little bit. "Are you even going to play?"

He shrugged. "I'm not sure. I have to travel with them… just in case."

"You won't be gone for long, right?" I asked, squeezing his hand.

"Not more than a couple days. I still have classes." He kissed my hand gently. "I don't want to leave you for too long. I do, however, want you to come to all my home games."

I smiled at him and shrugged. "I suppose I can do that." I teased him.

He grinned, satisfied. "Good."

"I still hate basketball though." I said, releasing his hand to put a chip in my mouth. He reached under the table and tickled my knee. My leg jerked and I almost knocked his soda over. I covered my mouth, trying not to choke on my chip as I laughed. Troy chuckled, folding his hands on the table like he did nothing wrong.

* * *

I slipped on Troy's CAL sweatshirt and grabbed my purse. I was going to walk to the BART station to take the train to Troy's basketball game. He drove his truck so I'd just catch a ride home with him. I locked up the house and headed down the street. It was a pretty safe neighborhood. There wasn't that much activity where I lived and I liked it that way. I bought myself a ticket.

I rode the train until I got to the Berkeley station and walked the ten minute walk down to the school. I asked somebody for directions and they sent me to the gym. I found my way and grabbed my ticket at will call. Troy set out a special seat for me.

I was kind of nervous for him as I walked through the first set of doors. I showed my ticket to the person and they checked my purse. I walked in and went down to the lowest level as directed. I wasn't sure if Troy was playing, but I'd cheer him on anyway. This was his first basketball game of the regular season. I took a seat on the sideline three seats over from the team bench. I wonder how Troy scored me this seat.

I texted my mom while I waited for the game to begin. She was getting her bags ready for her trip over here. They were coming here for Thanksgiving soon. Cam made a deal with the boy's mom. He got them on Thanksgiving but she'd have them Christmas Day and New Years.

The announcer started saying names and I put away my phone. I put my purse under the seat and crossed my legs. Troy's team ran out, I clapped for them. I didn't really know what to do. Troy was pretty focused the whole game though he did make eye contact with me a couple of times. He played for a couple minutes towards the end but that was it. The game was pretty boring but that's because I didn't really like basketball.

When the game was over he walked over to me and told me quickly where to meet him. I nodded and sent him on his way. I didn't want to get him into trouble. I walked out to the hallway and waited with other family members and girlfriends for the boys to come out. They came out surprisingly quickly.

I was getting looks by the guys who walked out first. It was kind of uncomfortable but I saw Troy come out. He was dressed nicely in the clothes he was wearing this morning when he left. I smiled at him and he walked over to me and picked me up.

"There's my girl." He kissed my lips gently.

"Good game. It was boring, but I'm glad you got to play for a little while." I smiled as he put me down.

"Well boring or not, you're coming to every home game." He said, leaning his forehead against mine.

I smiled, rolling my eyes. "I know, you've told me."

"Hey Troy, party tonight and the Beta house. You in?" A guy came up to us.

Troy loosened his grip on me. He shook his head. "Not tonight, maybe another night though. Thanks anyway Pearlman."

"See you tomorrow." Pearlman said, waving to us.

"You could go party." I said, reaching down for his hand.

"I'm not feeling it tonight. I'd rather spend time with you and I need your help in Algebra 2" He said, smiling innocently at me.

I laughed, squeezing his hand. "Come on, we can have a strip study date."

He growled in my ear, leading me to his truck. "Mmm, those are my favorite."

* * *

**Hey guys. I've got good news! I FINALLY finished this story at Chapter 62! yaaay. Now I have to continue with all my other stories. i'll start uploading a new one soon. Happy Monday guys. See y'all tomorrow because i'll be home early tomorrow and i have an eye dr appt so i think i can upload one tomorrow. Don't forget to review!**


	51. Ours

Thanksgiving was so fun. We had a full house with Mom, Dad, Jack and the boys. Mom and I spent practically all day in the kitchen making food for the boys to eat. I tried to make it as good as possible because I know it would be hard for Jack and Troy to have their first Thanksgiving without Lucille. We missed her but we never forgot about her.

Troy and I flew down for Christmas. Troy's grandparents were in town and he spent most of his time there but I didn't really mind I saw him all the time. I spent Christmas with my mom but I decided to surprised my dad, Phoebe and Aaron by flying in for the day after Christmas.

They were more than surprised when I showed up on their doorstep. Aaron was elated and I was more than happy to see them as well. I spent a nice day at their house. I even stayed the night without any problems. We caught up on everything that was going on. It was a really great trip. I flew back to Albuquerque the day after.

Troy had to fly out for a couple games but we flew back to California after New Years. He was gone for his birthday which was a little unfortunate. Now we had a good two weeks before finals. Unfortunately our one year anniversary was in the middle of finals week. Troy was planning something, I already knew it. Hopefully it had alcohol involved because I had really high grades in all my classes and I needed to celebrate.

I just finished my last final and I was finished for the semester. I had already picked my classes for the spring semester and I got my books. Troy's basketball season was picking up but thankfully he had this weekend off.

I got in my car and drove across the bridge, back home. I was ready to eat and then sleep then prepare for this weekend's festivities. I parked in the driveway because I didn't feel like putting my car in the garage. I got out, grabbing my backpack. I locked my car and walked inside through the front door.

I dropped my backpack off by my desk and I walked into the bedroom. "Hey baby."

I jumped. "Why are you home so early?" I asked him, holding my heart. He scared me.

"Just packing." He said, motioning to the two packed suitcases.

"Packing for what?" I asked wearily.

"You'll see." He said, grinning. "How was your last final?"

I groaned happily. "I'm glad it's over. My brain is mush."

"You've been working really hard and I want to make you relax until the next semester starts." He said, wrapping my arms around me. He kissed my lips slowly. "Now get changed into something comfortable."

"Okay." I said, shrugging. I decided not to ask anymore questions. I put some yoga pants on and a sweatshirt on. I tied my shoes on grabbed my purse. Troy walked in the room and the suitcases were gone.

"We're going to eat. I packed everything you need, so don't worry." He assured me. He turned off all the lights and he locked up the house. He lead me out to my car. "I'll drive."

I nodded, getting in the passengers seat. I put my seatbelt on. Troy filled up the gas tank before we went to dinner. We had a quick dinner then Troy started driving south. I let my eyes droop closed as Troy drove quietly. Before I knew it Troy was nudging me awake.

"Where are we?" I asked him.

"Somewhere safe in LA." He said, looking around. "Come on, we need to get some sleep." He grabbed our pillows from the back, my purse, and locked the car. He lead me into the hotel and he checked in. We got our key and went up to the room.

I didn't bother changing. I was so exhausted. I laid down on the bed and passed out again. Troy woke me up again but for breakfast this time. I climbed out of bed and put my shoes on. We went back down and put our stuff in the car. We ate a good breakfast before we checked out.

We got into the car again. Troy never told me where he was going. It felt like we were driving forever. I think I fell asleep again. I don't know. It was really bright when I opened my eyes. I sat up and looked around. "Troy, where are we?"

"Our place." He said, driving down what seemed like a dirt road.

"Our place?" I asked myself quietly. I saw the sign and a huge smile broke out on my face. "We haven't been here in forever!"

"Since Valentines Day." He said, reaching over for my hand.

"Aw, Troy. You're being romantic again. Stop. I don't want to get in another car crash." I joked with him.

He rolled his eyes. "We didn't get in a crash because I was being romantic."

"I know, I was just messing with you." I said, leaning over to kiss his cheek as he drove. "I'm excited."

"It's probably going to be freezing." He said, turning into a small town.

I smiled to myself. "That's fine."

We pulled up to the place we stayed the first time we went to the Grand Canyon a year ago. Troy checked in and we brought our luggage up to our room. It was the same room we stayed in. He set our things down and I wrapped my arms around him. I kissed his lips firmly.

Troy smiled against my lips. "One year together."

I nodded. "One year since I told you I loved you after two weeks of meeting you. Who knew we'd be here right now?"

He shrugged his shoulders in response. "I don't know but I'm glad we are here. I don't think I have loved you more. I want to be forever yours."

"You will be. I love you too. I meant it then and I mean it now. You changed me. I know I'm still a pain in the ass but I'm more open and dare I say, nice." Troy chuckled, cutting me off with a soft kiss. "We have many more years to drive each other crazy. I promise."

"I love you."

"And I love you." I whispered as I kissed his lips again. "Can you get some ice cream so I can lick it off your body? We can have sex then cuddle and watch FRIENDS."

Troy chuckled. "We're going to relieve our first date?"

I laughed. "Yup!"

"I'll be right back." He walked out of the room and I headed towards the balcony.

I stood on the balcony and looked out at the beautiful desert. I don't know where I'd be today if I didn't meet Troy. I shivered at the thought. I couldn't imagine life without him. I sighed in content. I'm so glad he took me back here. We've been through a lot since the day we met. It's nice reflecting on my past.

"Look what I got you." A voice said from behind me.

I turned around. "Hm?" He handed me a fat free fudge pop. "Thank you."

He wrapped his arms around me from behind as we watched people enjoy their day outside. I dragged my tongue along the cold treat. I sucked on it for a moment before pulling my mouth away. "Do you remember what we talked about up here the first time?" Troy asked me.

"Boxing and Ex's" I recalled.

He nodded and I bit the top of the ice cream off. "And that." He winced again. "I still don't know how you can do that."

I shrugged. "My mouth is gifted."

He smirked at me. "Sure is."

I rolled my eyes, turning around in his arms. "You're a pervert."

"Sometimes." He admitted, smirking.

I took another bite of my ice cream. I turned around and finished my ice cream as I people watched. I turned back to look at Troy. He was finishing up his ice cream. I smiled at the drip of chocolate on the corner of his mouth. "Babe, you got a little something." I pointed to the corner of my mouth.

"What?" He asked playing dumb.

I pulled his face down to mine, licking the chocolate off his face. He parted his lips inviting my tongue in. I brushed my tongue along his as I wrapped my arms around his neck. He lifted me up by my butt and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He carried me inside and closed the door behind him.

He dropped me on the bed and threw our sticks away. Troy climbed on top of me, connecting our lips again. I pushed him off me and practically ripped his shirt off. I ran my tongue up his chest. Troy lifted my shirt up, taking a quick second to pull it off my head. He unclipped my bra, pulling it off.

I straddled his lap, sitting back. I unbuckled his belt and tugged down his jeans and his boxers. His length was half way erect, resting against his flat stomach. I crawled off him to pull off his pants. I stood at the end of the bed. He sat up and tugged down my yoga pants. He rubbed the wet strip of lace between my thighs. I stepped out of my pants.

He stood up and smirked at me. He picked me up and laid me on the bed. He ran his tongue against the lace covering before pulling it off with his teeth. He threw the thong somewhere and laid in between my legs. He lifted my legs up, holding them apart. I bit my lip in anticipation. He place a soft kiss on my inner thigh.

"Troy." I said softly. "Please."

He smirked. He loved when I begged him. He parted my entrance with his thumbs. He dipped a tongue in my wet heat before dragging it up to my clit. "You taste so good baby." I sighed, running my fingers through his hair.

His tongue lapped over my clit and I shut my eyes. "More." I ordered as I tugged on the hair on top of his head. He rubbed my clit with his tongue and plunged two fingers into me. "Faster baby." I said breathlessly.

He thrusted his fingers in and out of me quickly as he worked his tongue on me. My muscles contracted against his fingers. I let out a deep breath that came out more like a moan. He curled his fingers up to brush my most sensitive spot. I felt my heart almost beating out of my chest. "I need you to come for me baby." Troy's lips vibrated at my entrance.

"Oh Troy." I gripped his hair tightly and felt my peak nearing. "I'm almost there." I panted, arching my back and pushing his head down. I bit down on my bottom lip and moaned out as I finally arrived.

He let out a string of spit before pulling away. I caught my breath and watched him walk over to his bag. I relaxed against the bed, putting my hand against my chest. "I have something for you."

"What's that?" I asked, looking at him.

He sat on the bed next to me and I sat up. "I know you aren't really much for jewelry anymore but I wanted to get you something. We didn't really talk about presents but I thought I'd get you a little something." He pulled out a little box. He opened it to a small twist ring. "It's not diamonds or anything but it is gold." He said lifting it out of it's box.

"It's beautiful." I said, getting a closer look at it.

"It doesn't have meaning or anything because I'm kind of bad those kinds of things. I would have asked my mom but I can't so…" He trailed off, sliding the ring on my right ring finger. "I thought it was pretty cool so I bought it for you."

"I love it Troy. Thank you." I looked at it closely before I put my hand on his cheek and kissed his lips. "I love you."

"I love you too." He said with a small smile. "Wait I got you another ring too."

I raised my eyebrow and he held up a condom. I laughed. I reached over for it. "Let me put that ring on for you." He handed me the condom package and I opened it. I rolled the condom on his length and pushed him down on the bed. "I didn't get you a present, so I'll give you sex."

"That's fine with me." He said, his voice cracking a little as I sank down on him. I leaned down and kissed his lips firmly.

* * *

We started our new semester of school. My load was a class lighter but I went to school every day of the week. Troy had to do two online classes because he'd be gone so much for basketball. His team was doing really well. He was playing more and more as he got better. His games were actually starting to get interesting. I'd find myself watching Basketball on TV when he was away. I guess it wasn't that bad.

I was about to Skype with my mom, cam, and the boys. This was something I did every Saturday whether Troy was here on not. It was only February. I was planning to go to Arizona in March. Lucy worked some magic up in heaven because Troy was playing University of Arizona the weekend of Aaron's birthday. I was excited for that trip.

The beeping of my computer distracted me from my thoughts. I clicked the answer button and pushed my hair back. "Hey!" I said when I saw their faces.

"Hey Gabi-girl! How's college?" Cam asked, he was sitting next to my mom.

"Good, busy. Troy's in Montana I think this weekend. It's hard to figure out all the schedules and what not. How are you guys doing?" I asked with a big smile.

"We actually have something to tell you." Mom said, grinning.

I had a feeling I knew what she was going to tell me but I decided to tease her anyway. "You're pregnant! I'm getting another sibling? I hope it's a girl."

Cam's eyes widened before he laughed. "You're pregnant, hon?"

"Dear god. Hell no. No more babies." She said, looking at me as if I were crazy.

I giggled to myself. "What is it then? Where are the boys?"

"Their moms." Cam said. "It's our anniversary weekend."

I scrunched up my nose. "Oh, ew. Anyway."

Mom rolled her eyes. "Anyway, Cam just asked me to marry him."

"Okay? And." I watched in anticipation.

"I said yes." She held up her hand with the ring we picked out on it's proper finger.

I squealed, clapping. "Yay! Okay, so I already looked at some venues… there are some nice places to have it here in California."

"Wait… why aren't you surprised?" She asked, confused.

"You know he had to ask permission first." I said smirking. "Mama, who do you think helped him pick out the ring?" She smiled, up at her fiancé. He leaned down to kiss her. "I know you guys are getting married but I don't need to see that."

They pulled away laughing. "We're probably going to have a small wedding."

"Nonsense. I can and will plan you the perfect wedding." They looked at me skeptically. "Please! Let me do this. I won't mess it up, I promise."

"Baby, it's not about you messing it up. I bet you'd do an amazing job. You're in your second semester of college and we haven't even picked out a date yet. You have a lot to focus on." Mom said.

I smiled at her. "I know you're being a concerned mama bear right now but if I don't get to plan the wedding then I will be highly upset. So you guys can pick a date so me and you can start planning okay?"

Cam just laughed at us bickering. "Hon, I don't think you're gonna win."

"Me either. Damn me for giving birth to such a stubborn, hard-headed child."

"I'm still here you know!" I said, waving my hands in front of the camera.

Mom smiled at me. "We know babe. We're going to let you get back to studying or whatever you were doing. I'll call you tomorrow."

"You are because I need to know details. I love you guys. I'm really happy for you and I hope you enjoy your anniversary… just don't enjoy it in my bed, okay?"

"Gabriella!" My mom scolded.

"Bye Gabi." Cam said, laughing and shaking his head.

"Bye dad." I said, smirking. I ended the call and closed my laptop.

* * *

Mom had the weekend off two weeks after she told me about her engagement. She decided to come and spend the weekend with me and Troy. Troy was home but he had a shit load of homework to catch up on. I picked her up from the airport and we dropped her things off at the house.

We decided to go out to lunch to catch up but promised to bring something back for Troy. I couldn't let my boy starve. Since Troy and I ate food that either me or him have cooked at home, we weren't really familiar with the places around us. We had one go to restaurant but me and mom decided to try something new.

We got seated at an Italian place a couple miles from my house. We got settle in with drinks and we looked at the menu. "Do where did you get that ring?" My mom asked, glancing at my hand.

"This is my engagement ring, from Troy." I said, holding it out for her. She looked at me blankly. "Kidding, it's from our anniversary. It was my present."

"What did you give him?" She asked curiously.

I shrugged. "Sex."

"You didn't buy him anything?" Mom asked.

"I didn't know he was buying me this. We didn't talk about presents and he surprised me with the trip! How was I supposed to know to buy him something?" I argued.

Mom sat back. "I guess that's fair. How was your weekend away?"

"It was so nice. We did gross couple-y things. It was fun though. How was your anniversary weekend?" I asked teasingly.

She blushed. "It was fun. The ring is perfect by the way." She said, looking at her own ring.

"I knew you'd love it. Did you decide on a date yet?" I asked, folding my hands in my lap.

"We're debating on a summer wedding or a spring wedding. Summer of this year, spring of next year." Mom told me.

"Spring would be pretty, especially here or are you going to do it in Albuquerque?"

"We're thinking Albuquerque. We're looking for somewhere pretty. Like a state park or something. We're not going to have a big wedding. We'll have his family. He says they're not that big. I think I'm going to a family reunion this summer. That will be interesting." She said, she looked down at the menu.

The waiter took our order and the menus. "We don't really have a big family. You do have friends though, a small wedding would be nice. Like twenty to thirty people."

She nodded in agreement. "Most of that would be Cam's family."

"He can invite only the important people. All the family is for the first wedding, right?"

Mom laughed, rolling her eyes. "Sadly, that's exactly what I was thinking."

"Well find you a park though. I'll do some research and you guys can check it out. Or I can wait until summer and we can do it together when I'm out there." I offered.

"I'll probably wait until you come out, since you are the self proclaimed wedding planner." I grinned at the title. "Have you heard from Sharpay or anybody?"

"I text Sharpay all the time. She's studying fashion or fashion journalism. Her major changes every week. She's doing really good in New York. I don't talk to anybody else really. Troy talks to Chad and their excited to see each other soon." I explained, looking up at my mom.

"How are you doing in school?"

"Really well. I got a 4.0 last semester. I'm trying to keep it that way. Troy isn't as distracting as I thought he would be when we first moved in. He's at school or playing basketball. I miss him sometimes even thought I get to see him mostly every night." I said, shrugging. "I find time to do my homework when he's away. I even help him with his."

"Is he having a hard time?" She asked concerned.

I shook my head, no. "Not really. He's adjusting to playing more and his online classes take a lot of work and I'm trying to make it as easiest as possible without like actually doing it for him, you know? I don't want him stressed out. I have spare time when he's around so I like to help him out." I said, smiling lightly.

"I'm sure he appreciates it. What's their record? Do you know?" Mom asked.

I made a face at her. "No." I laughed to myself. "I barely go to his home games. I'm starting to watch his away games and that's scaring me."

She laughed. "You never were a big basketball fan."

I shook my head. "Nope."

"I'm glad you're doing good though baby. It puts my mind at ease." She said with a soft smile. "I worry about you sometimes."

"You don't need to worry. If anything ever went wrong, I know you're just a phone call away."

* * *

**Thanks to my 3/4 regular reviewers. I wish i could hug you all right now. I love you like... i can't think of one right now because my brain is fried but i love you alot. Peace and Blessings. Don't forget to review.**


	52. Peace

Troy was in the midst of March Madness and I felt like I was on basketball over load. The first three months it didn't really bother me but now I am so done with basketball and I am going to be so happy when the season is over. I flew to Phoenix with Troy and the team. We didn't sit together but I happened to be on the same flight.

I got along with a couple of his new friends. There was Byron Pearlman. He was a freshman like Troy- mostly a bench warmer but somebody had to do it right? He was also pretty good friends with Kyle Chapman. He played a little, mostly when Troy did. He was a smarter version of Chad. They were nice guys, the only ones I'd willingly talk to.

Troy was trying to get along with everybody. He checked on me a couple times on the flight, making sure everything was okay with me. I appreciated that. When we landed in Phoenix, Troy got my stuff and they were staying at a hotel. I decided to stay with my dad since I was helping Phoebe with the party and I wanted to spend as much time as I could with Aaron.

I promised to take Aaron to Troy's game. He was more interested in Baseball but sports were sports. I knew he would enjoy it. Troy and I parted ways at the airport. I found my dad and Troy left with the boys on the bus. We walked to his car before we even started talking.

He put my bag in the trunk and I got in the passengers seat. He got in the front and we put our seatbelts on. "So how have you been?" He asked awkwardly.

Even though we got along now there was still lingering awkwardness. "I've been really good. I just finished my benchmark for two of my classes before I left. The house is so great. It's really close to public transportation and its in a quiet neighborhood."

"That's good. You have everything you need?" I nodded my head. "Good, good. How is Troy?"

"Busy, busy, busy with basketball. I'm going to be so happy when it's over because basketball is getting on my nerves." I said laughing. "I'm going to take Aaron with me to Troy's game tomorrow night. That's okay right?"

Dad nodded. "Of course. He's going to have a blast. You should bond with him a little bit."

"Yeah, I missed him." I said with a small smile.

"How's your mom? She just got engaged right?" Dad asked, looking over at me.

"Yes! I'm so happy for them. Mom deserves to be happy and Cam makes her so happy. I'm planning the wedding. I think I'm more excited than they are." I laughed a little bit.

He grinned. "I'm happy for your mom. She's a great woman."

"How are things here?" I asked, changing the subject quickly.

He sighed. "Aaron is growing up quick. I remember the day he was born like it was yesterday. Pheebs is good."

"That's good." I said, tapping on my pant legs. We pulled up to the house just when it was starting to feel awkward again. I got out of the car once my dad parked. I walked over to the trunk and dad opened it, pulling my bag out. I took it from him as he went to open the door.

I closed the trunk, sighing to myself. I walked inside and was greeted by Phoebe. "Hey!" She wrapped me up in tight hug. "How are you?" She asked with a big grin.

"I'm good, how are you? Where's Aaron?" I asked.

"I'm fabulous. The birthday boy is taking a quick nap. He was so excited to see you, I told him if he took a nap then you'd be here quicker. You can go wake him up if you'd like." Phoebe said. "Let me show you your room first."

She took my bag and showed me to the room next to Aarons. She put the bag on my bed and I called my mom real quick to let her that I had arrived. I texted Troy just to tell him to have a good practice before I walked over to Aarons room. I opened the door quietly and saw him sleeping on the bed.

I walked over to his bed and sat on it. "Aaron, buddy. It's time to wake up." I said softly, rubbing his back. He groaned, turning. "Aaron, it's me. Gabi. Do you want to go to the park?" I asked him.

"Yeah." He said tiredly.

"Come on, you have to get up, okay?" I said, rubbing his back still. He let out a yawn, rubbing his eyes. He rolled on his back and opened his eyes. He smiled when he saw me then hid his face in the pillow. "Hey, no hiding from me." I said, tickling his sides.

He laughed, squirming. He sat up and wrapped me in a tight hug. "I missed you sissy."

"I missed you too buddy." I kissed the top of his head. "Are you ready for your party?"

"Yeah! It's going to be so fun!" He said excitedly. "It's going to be Spider man themed!"

I grinned at him. "Are you going to have a spider man cake?"

"Yes! It's going to be chocolate. I like chocolate cake." He said, climbing off the bed. "Do you wanna play?"

"Sure bud. What do you want to play?" I asked him.

"I have Trains and dinosaurs and cars!" He said, walking over to his toy box.

"Only take what you're going to play with out. You're going to have to put them back later." I warned him.

"I think we should play with cars." He grabbed his bucket of cars and set them by his car mat. "The fire trucks have to go to the fire station. The police cars have to go in the police station. Sometimes they get in high speed chases, like the ones they have on TV." He said, setting up his little town.

I giggled at him. "What's your towns name?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. It doesn't have a name."

"It has to have a name." I said, taking a car out of his bucket. "You can name the people in your car too."

He thought for a moment. "I'll call it Aaron town."

"That's a nice name. Who drives your car?" I asked him.

"Bob. He works at the court house because he's a judge." He said, driving his car to the 'city hall' building on the carpet. "What's your's name?"

"Mary and Doug drive this car. They have two kids named Linda and Harry." I said, driving my little car around. "Mary is a doctor and Doug is a teacher." I told him.

"This is Joe!" He picked up a hot rod. "He gets into lots of trouble"

"Uh oh!" I said. "Did he just run a red light?" I asked my little brother.

"Wee-woo wee-woo." He started making siren noises. He drove the cop car to chase the hot rod around.

I smiled at him as I watched him drive the car around. I wish I was that young again. Actually no I don't. I'm really happy with where I am now. It'd be nice to have nothing to worry about except cleaning up your toys at the end of the day. But if I was that young then I wouldn't have Troy. I wouldn't give him up for anything.

I took Aaron to Troy's game after his birthday party. He fell asleep on the way home but we had a blast. We got back home and Troy was officially done with basketball season. If it wasn't for class he would have slept for days. They were 23-12 they didn't do great but that made it to the play offs and I was proud of them.

* * *

As our spring semester wrapped up, Troy and I were both focused on our grades. I craved another 4.0 and Troy was keeping up his three point something GPA. I was proud of him. He had a lot more on his plate than I did and he was doing really well.

We took a trip down to Albuquerque to see everybody. I was planning my moms wedding still. They had decided to have a May wedding. I was so excited to be looking around and picking out a venue for the wedding. We were going to wait until Christmas time to pick out a dress. She was still gathering the guest list but we had already picked out flowers, table arrangements and a place for the reception.

I couldn't believe my mom was getting married again. I was happy to have a complete family, even if it was fourteen years too late. I had three brothers, two moms and two dads. It wasn't really conventional but I had all these people loving me. I was truly lucky.

It was our last night in Albuquerque and Troy and I were going out for lunch. We were leaving bright and early tomorrow morning for class registration. We took Troy's dad's car up to Santa Fe. We stopped at our little pizza place for a quick lunch. I drove back down towards our parents houses. I took a little detour and stopped at the cemetery.

"What are we doing here?" Troy asked, looking out the window.

"We're seeing your mom. Go." I said, pushing him out of the car.

He sighed and got out of the car. He'd been a little distant since the anniversary of his moms death. I knew he needed to see her to feel a little more at ease. I know he missed her. I missed her too. I'd rather have him sad than being distant. I watched him from the car. He took a seat in front of the gave.

I let him have a minute before I got out too. I walked over to him. I took a seat down next to him. "Hey baby."

"Hey." He sighed.

I wrapped my arms around him, rubbing his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"I've been feeling a little down for a couple of months. I really miss her, you know?" He said softly.

"I miss her too baby." I ran my fingers through his hair. "I wish she was here to see you. She'd be so proud of you."

"I hope so." He said leaning against me.

"She'd be with me, cheering you on at all your games. Hell she'd probably living in the house taking care of us." Troy chuckled. "I know your dad is hurting too. You have to support him too."

"I'm trying." He said, sighing. "I'll talk to him tonight."

"Good." I kissed his lips gently. "I love you, you can talk to me too."

He nodded his head. "I know I can. Were prepping for our third semester of college I don't want you to have to worry about me."

I rolled my eyes. "Please. You're in my head all the time. That's what girlfriends do, worry excessively."

He chuckled lightly. "I love you so much."

"And I love you too." I gave him another kiss. "You know, I was thinking about something."

"What's that?" He asked me.

"I want to get a job." I said, looking at him.

He raised his eyebrow at me. "A job? Why?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. This gym was on campus the other day. I was talking to them about boxing and training and I could become a personal trainer."

He frowned. "That will take a lot of time."

"I'd only do it part time. I'll only have a couple of clients. I'll make sure I'll come to every one of your games." I assured him, reaching down for his hand.

"You can do anything you want babe." He said, kissing my lips. "You are amazing and I wish I could get a job too."

"Basketball is like a full time job." I reminded him.

He scoffed. "You're telling me."

"Sometimes I feel bad and I hope your team isn't that good so you can stay home more." I smiled innocently.

Troy laughed, kissing my cheek. "Honestly, I wouldn't expect anything less from you."

I grinned down at him. I played with his hair as we sat for a little longer. "We should go."

Troy nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I miss you mom." He said as he got up.

I reached my hands up and he pulled me up. "I love you Mama Bolton." I said to her grave. He held my hand and we walked back to the car.

* * *

We got back to California and I had to head over to my school to pick up my books. I waited in line at the book store with my schedule in hand. I sighed. They were taking longer than usual. I picked the wrong day to come get my books. I looked at the clock on the wall and sighed again.

"I feel your pain." The girl behind me said. I turned around and saw an older girl stand behind me. "I waited six years to get into the graduate program. You'd think I'd learn to buy my books online, but no. I have to be difficult. I picked the wrong day to come here."

I laughed. "That is just what I was thinking."

"What's your major?" She asked me.

"Pre-Med, you?" I asked.

"I am official a law major." She said proudly. "I went to community college for two years, then I got into San Jose state and now I'm finally here. I can't believe it."

"I've always wanted to go here too, as long as I could remember. My parents are both alumni. They loved it and I love it too. I just finished my first year." I said sighing.

She sighed as well. "I wish I got in here the first time I applied… or the second."

I smiled at her. "All your hard work paid off."

"Yeah, finally." She said, looking over at me. "I'm Anna."

"Gabriella." I introduced. "Nice to meet you."

"You too." She said with a grin. "Maybe I'll see you around sometime."

"Yeah, we can hang out or something." I offered.

She nodded. "I'd like that. Do you live on campus?"

I shook my head. "I live in Union City."

She grinned. "I live in Fremont! How awesome. Maybe we can car pool or something."

I laughed. "Well see how our schedules match up."

"Oh for sure. Or we can have a study date or something. You're probably a genius, getting in here on your first try. We can help each other." Anna said, enthusiastically.

"That'd be fun. I need more friends out here. I'm from New Mexico, the only person I know out here is my boyfriend and he lives with me." I explained.

"I'm from the Bay, I'll have to show you around sometime!" She said grinning. "oh, I'm excited now. Where does your boyfriend go?"

"Berkeley." I said

She sighed. "Both of you are freakishly smart. They turned me down once too."

I frowned. "I'm sorry."

Anna shrugged. "It's okay, I'm here now, aren't I?"

"Yep." I said encouragingly.

"You're almost up, finally." She pointed out.

"I'll give you my number, we can hang out sometime." I said.

"Of course." She pulled out her phone.

We exchanged numbers and I got called up to get my books. I waved bye to my new friend and I got my books from the store. I walked back to my car and put my books in the trunk. I drove across the bridge back home. I walked in the house with my bag of books and my purse.

Troy was on the couch with his basketball friends. "Hey guys." I said, putting my books by my desk.

"Hey Gabi." They all said at the same time.

I walked back into the front living room and took a seat on Troy's lap. "What took you so long?" Troy asked, looking up at the time.

"There was a billion people in the book store." I said, leaning against him. "What have you guys been up to?"

"We played a little ball now were watching a little Sports Center." Kyle said.

"Can we do something? We've been doing nothing all day." Byron complained.

"Pearlman's just mad because he got his ass kicked at basketball." Troy said.

"I am not!" Byron defended.

I laughed. "Is there anything fun to do out here? Go-karts or laser tag or something?" I asked, looking at them.

Kyle shrugged. "I'm from Louisiana, I barely know how to get to school from my dorm."

Troy and I chuckled. I looked over at Byron. "What about you?"

"Oregon." He said shrugging.

"You men are useless… I'm going to google it." I got off Troy's lap and walked over to my desk. I typed in some stuff and I looked around at a couple of different places.

"Did you find anything cool?" Troy asked as the boys walked into the room.

"I found go karts." I said, pointing to the screen. "They have indoor and outdoor. We can have a rematch because you cheated last time."

"I did not cheat!" He said, looking at me.

"Let's go, I'll kick all of your asses." Kyle said.

I shook my head at him. "I'm down, let's go." Byron said from the other side of me.

Troy looked over at me and I shrugged. "Let's go." I closed the internet pages and got up. I grabbed my purse. I pulled my keys out and rushed the boys out of the door. I locked up the house behind me and unlocked my car.

"Shotgun."

"Pearlman, get in the back." Troy said, laughing.

I shook my head and got in the drivers seat. "Do you have enough room Kyle?"

"Yeah, thanks." He said fixing his cargo shorts.

"Seatbelts, I'm not getting a ticket." I ordered.

"Yes mom." Byron said. I rolled my eyes and backed out of the driveway. "How long have you been together anyway?"

"A year and a half." Troy said.

"That's it? You guys act like you're practically married." Kyle said from behind me.

"We've been through a lot." I said, glancing at my phones GPS.

Troy nodded. "She was meaner than she is now."

"Somehow I don't find that hard to believe."

"Shut up Pearlman." I said, glaring back at him.

Kyle laughed. "Don't worry Gabi, I think you're pretty cool."

"Thank you Kyle. This is why you're my favorite." I said, getting on the freeway.

"Kiss ass." Byron mumbled.

My phone vibrated. "Can you get that babe?" I asked, handing it over to Troy.

"Sure, it's from Anna. She says hey girl." Troy read. "Who's Anna?"

"I met her in line for books, she's really cool. Tell her 'hey what's up.'" I said, focusing on driving.

"Okay." Troy said, typing into my phone.

"My last girlfriend wouldn't even let me touch her phone." Byron said.

"I'm not that good with people so I have nothing to hide." I said, laughing.

Troy nodded in agreement. "We tell each other everything anyway."

"Do you tell her locker room talk?" Byron asked worriedly.

"I don't care about your non existent sex life Byron." I said, laughing. "I know that you know I have a tattoo you'll never see unless I'm wearing a bathing suit and it's true that we had sex on the roof of our high school."

"Damn…" Kyle said

"Told you." Troy said.

"Troy shouldn't be bragging or else Troy won't be getting sex for a long time." I said. "And you guys shouldn't care if we've had sex or not."

Byron shrugged. "Sex is an interesting topic of conversation in the locker room."

"Is it true that you were really a boxer?" Kyle asked.

"Do you want me to punch you and find out?"

"Ha! Told you she would say that. Ten bucks Chapman." Troy said.

Kyle sighed. "I'll give it to you later."

I shook my head at them. "You guys are ridiculous."

* * *

**Byron and Kyle are kind of like the Jason and Chad of California. Though Byron is a little more dickish (if that's a word) but thats apart of his personality. 10 more chapters to go. it's coming to an end so quickly *sniffles* Please review. I might upload something new. Y'all know how i like teasing you. You could make it happen ;) Don'tforgettoreview!**


	53. Halloween

I started my fall semester. I was still a full time student but I also took on a part-time job as a personal trainer. The gym that I work at is by my school, my first client is a man that is a little older than I am who's trying to get back into shape. His name is Phil and he's a pretty cool guy.

Since I work for the gym, Troy comes with me and works out for free. He started training for basketball again so he's started to work off all of the three pounds he gained during the summer. Kyle and Pearlman hang around the house more. They find it quieter than the dorms. I've gotten used to them.

I also see Anna a lot. I spend most of my time between classes with her. She's really smart and she's really, really nice. All of her friends from home just work all the time so we're starting to hang out more apart from school.

Halloween was coming up. Kyle and Pearlman invited us to a dorm party up at Berkeley. I was going to bring Anna along so I'd have somebody to hang out with when Troy hangs out with his basketball friends. I was costume shopping with Anna after class. I was taking Anna home and she needed something to wear for the party this weekend.

I parked in front of the Halloween store. Anna and I got out and walked in. "What are you going to be Gabs?" She asked as we made our way over to the women's costumes.

"I am what I am every year." I told her.

"What is that?" She asked stopping at a sexy pirate costume.

"Princess Leia." I said shrugging.

"You're kidding, right?" She said, looking over at me.

"Nope. That's only when I do dress up for Halloween. I haven't dressed up for the past two." I said, watching her look at the back.

Anna shook her head. "You have to be something else Gab. Be something that will knock Troy's socks off."

I smirked. "I don't need a costume for that."

"Touche." She said narrowing her eyes at me. "Come one, we have to dress up. You have an amazing body. You should show it off."

I licked my lips. "If I find one I like then I'll get it."

"Promise?" She asked, grinning.

I laughed. "Promise. Sometimes I forget you're seven years older than me."

"Shut up. I'm twenty six going on twenty." She picked up the costume and moved on to a fairy costume.

"If you say so An." I looked at a sexy cop costume. "This one would look cute on you. You have the long legs for it."

She shrugged. "Eh." She walked down the next aisle and she stopped, gasping.

"What?" I asked.

"I found the perfect costume for you." She held up a blow up penis costume.

"Ha-ha" I laughed sarcastically. "Good one An."

"What about a sexy gypsy?" She help up another costume.

"That one is kind of cute." I said, tilting my head.

Anna picked out a couple costumes for me to try on. I actually bought one of them. I dropped Anna off at home and drove back to the house. I parked in the driveway and got out, grabbing my bag. I walked inside; Kyle and Pearlman were on the couch.

"Hey guys." I greeted.

"Hey Gab." Pearlman greeted.

"Troy went to go get pizza." Kyle said.

I nodded. "Sweet." I set my backpack down by my desk. I put my costume in my closet. There was a knock at the door. "Can you get that guys?" I asked from the room.

"Okay!" One of them yelled back to me.

"Uh Gab…" One called back to me again.

I walked out of my room. "What?"

"Who the fuck are these guys? Where is Troy?"

A smile broke out on my face. "Sharpay!" I ran over to her, giving her a big hug. "Oh my god, when did you get in?"

"Well I took daddy's jet back home. Then I went over to see your mom just to say hi. She told me your address because we hardly talk anymore and I thought I'd come see my BFF. Where's Troy? Did you guys finally breakup?" Sharpay said, looking at the two boys who were standing behind me, curiously.

I laughed. "No, Troy's getting pizza. These are his teammates, Kyle and Byron." I pointed a thumb at them. "We have so much catching up to do!"

"I know! I've been so busy. Sorry I haven't called lately. I've been caught up with school and trying to watch all of Ry's shows. Everything's been crazy." She shook it off and smiled. "So how have you been?"

"I've been really good actually." I said.

"That's good. Uh, you can stop staring and sit down now, thanks." Sharpay said, giving the boys a fake smile.

Pearlman grumbled. "Sor-ry." He rolled his eyes and Kyle pulled him back to the house.

"Hey I got three pizzas that should be enough right?" Troy said, coming in the door. He looked at all of us. "Sharpay?"

"Hey Bolton." She smirked. "Miss me?"

"I'm staying all weekend so show me where I'm going to sleep." Sharpay said, picking up her two bags.

Troy looked at me and I shrugged. "Let's go Shar." I lead her into one of the spare rooms.

"Your little house is so cute! So what are we going to do for Halloween?" She asked, sitting on the bed.

"We were going to go to a CAL dorm party at the boys' dorm. You're more than welcome to come. You can meet Anna! She's coming with us too." I said excitedly. "Anna is this girl that I met a couple months ago. She's really nice. You'd like her. How's New York? How's Ryan?"

"New York is fab as always. Daddy got me this really nice pent house. They come over sometimes. Ryan is having a great time. He's auditioning for a ton of plays and even commercials. He's trying to get a manager but daddy wants to be and there's this whole family drama. Other than that, we've both been really good." Sharpay said flipping her hair.

I nodded along, taking my hair down from it's bun. "Have you talked to Zeke?"

She frowned and shook her head, no. "I haven't but on the plus side, your hair is amazing! It's so long and soft. It's your real hair right?

"Yeah." I nodded. "I just got a trim last week. I want it to grow as long as it was before." I pulled it all to the front of me. "It's almost to my lower back now." I combed through my hair with my fingers.

"I love the natural color. Better than the god awful black color you came to Albuquerque with." She said. "So this Halloween party. What are you going to wear?"

I smiled. "Let me show you." I got up and pulled her into my room. She decided to look around while I stepped in my closet. "I'm going to try it on for you, okay?" I got changed into my costume and walked out of my closet.

She was sitting on the bed, typing on her phone. She finally looked up at me. "Oh my god, how hot are you?" She looked at me. "What are you?"

I laughed. "I'm a gypsy. Watch this." I shook my hips and my skirt jingled.

She smirked. "Nice. I bet Troy is going to love that."

"Oh he will, that's why he can't see it until Halloween." I walked back into the closet to change back into my normal clothes. "Do you have a costume?"

"No." She sighed. "I'm going to have to get one."

"We can get you one before Halloween." I told her as I walked out of the closet. "Are you hungry? Because I'm starving."

"Let's go eat." She offered, getting up.

* * *

I took Sharpay shopping and she got a costume too. We met up with Anna for lunch the next day. They were a little stand offish at first. Sharpay had a big personality but that is something that makes her so loveable. After a half hour of awkwardness they started talking fashion and got along just fine. I was thankful for that because I didn't want to have to deal with bullshit drama during the Halloween party.

Troy decided to hang out with the boys playing basketball at the gym for Halloween day. Sharpay, Anna, and I got Mani-Pedis because we were bored. We came back to the house and Anna left to go get something to drink. Sharpay and I got dressed in our costumes.

Anna came back with a bottle of Tequila, wine, and a 24 pack of beer. "I didn't know what to get so I got three things." She said, walking into the house.

"I thought we were pregaming, not having the party here." I said, shaking my hips, jingling my shirt. "Come on, get dressed, I have to do my make up."

She laughed and walked into my room. Anna went with the sexy pirate costume. I was a gypsy. Sharpay was a sluttier version of Tinkerbell. I curled the ends of my hair, putting a band around my forehead. I did my make up and put lotion on my legs and my bare stomach that showed. I slipped a pair of black heels on before I walked to the kitchen. I grabbed three cups and filled them up with a little bit of tequila.

Sharpay came out, putting the wine and beer in the fridge. "You look so hot." Sharpay told me.

"So do you, are you going to put your hair up?" I asked her.

She bit her lip and shook her head. "Nah. Anna! Hurry up bitch!"

"Shut up, I'm coming." Anna said from one of the rooms.

I laughed. "Did you go to a college party back in New York?"

Sharpay shook her head. "This will be my first one." She said, smiling. "I'm kind of excited actually."

"This is my first party too. I was kind of a hermit at SJSU. Is this how these stupid cuff things go?" Anna asked, walking into the room.

"Damn girl! I'm so jealous, your legs are so long and perfect." Sharpay said sighing.

I walked over to help her. "I think they go this way." I slid them on her arms. "I poured our first shots so let's do this."

I picked up two cups, handing one to Anna. Sharpay took a cup and held it up. "Cheers to Halloween bitches."

"Cheers." Anna and I repeated. We all threw back the alcohol and grimaced at the same time.

"That was kind of alright." Sharpay said optimistically.

"Ready for number two?" I asked, picking up the bottle of tequila.

"Why not?" Anna said, setting her cup down. I poured our second shots and we picked our cups up again. We all took the shot.

Sharpay set her cup down. "What time do we have to leave?"

"Um, We're waiting for Troy and the boys. They're going to meet us here before we leave." I said, taking a seat on the counter. I poured myself another drink.

"Whoa, slow down there baby doll. We want to actually get there and get back right?" Anna said.

"I'm only having four then I'm switching to beer." I promised.

"This isn't going to be good." Anna said, watching me down my third shot.

"I'm going to turn on some music so we have something to occupy our time." Sharpay said. She turned up her iHome. Ironically the song 'Shots' came on. "This calls for shots!" Shar said, grabbing the bottle of tequila."

She poured another shot for us and we took a drink. "Gabi, Beer remember?" Anna said.

"Okay, beer." I hopped off the counter, feeling a little warm due to the alcohol. I went in the fridge and opened the package of beer. I took one out, opening it up. I passed one on to Sharpay and Anna. "We should play a drinking game."

"Oh my god. Yes." Sharpay said. She opened her beer taking a drink. She turned down the radio. "Never have I ever." She said dramatically.

Anna took a seat on the couch and I sat on the table in front of the couch. Sharpay sat next to Anna. "I'll start. Never have I ever had more than three boyfriends." Sharpay and I both took a drink of beer. "Shar."

"Never have I ever had sex on the roof of a school." She said, smirking at me.

"Hey! That was a cheap shot." I said taking a drink of my beer.

"You had sex on the roof of a school?" Anna asked in disbelief.

I shrugged. "Troy and I have a very healthy sex life." I crossed my legs. "Okay, I've never made out with a girl."

Sharpay and Anna both took a drink. I looked at both of them skeptically. "Stage kiss." Sharpay defended.

"I was exploring my sexuality." Anna said, shrugging.

I starting giggling. The alcohol was starting to kick in. "Anna."

"Okay. Never have I ever gotten a 4.0" Anna said.

I scoffed. "Now your both taking cheap shots." I took a long swig of beer.

"Never have I ever been in love." Sharpay said.

I took a swig, sighing. "Seriously guys. You're killing me here. I'm glad were not doing this with tequila or else I'd be plastered. Never have I ever left the country."

Sharpay glared at me, taking a drink of beer. Anna laughed. "I'm the oldest and I haven't done half of the things you guys have. Never have I ever been on a road trip."

"I would have gone but I wasn't invited!" Sharpay said glaring at me.

"Oh come on! You went to Europe instead for Christ sake." I took a long drink of beer, finishing it.

Anna laughed at us. "Shar."

"Never have I ever shot gunned a beer."

My eyes widened. "Can we do it?" I watched Anna take a drink. "Is it easy?"

"Let's finish this one." Anna said.

"Hurry up! I'm on E." I got up and walked to the fridge. I grabbed three beers. I walked back to the living room.

"We should do this in the kitchen. Let's stand up, it's easier." Anna said, finishing her beer.

Sharpay swirled her can then chugged it, letting out a burp. "Oh my god, I'm sorry."

I laughed. "Whatever, it was a burp."

We got up standing in between the kitchen and the living room. "We need something to stab it with." Anna said. "Keys! We need keys!"

I ran in the bedroom with my heels on. I grabbed my keys and ran back. My feet slipped out from under me and I fell on my ass. I burst out laughing. Sharpay and Anna turned to look at me. They saw me on the floor and starting laughing.

"Oh my god!" Sharpay shrieked. She dropped her beer, laughing so hard. "I have to pee!" She announced. She tried to jump over me and fell on her ass too. Anna was on the ground laughing. I fell back, laughing so hard it came out silent. "I have to pee!" She said again.

"Don't pee on my floor! I'm not cleaning it up." I said breathlessly.

She got up quickly and raced off to the bathroom. Anna could not stop laughing. "I wish I had a camera."

I was giggling now, calming down from my laughs. "Oh god, that was the best thing I've ever seen in my life."

Anna got up and walked over to help me up. "Never have I ever fell on my ass when I was drunk." She said giggling as well.

"Shut up Anna." I stood up, reaching down to grab my keys. "I have keys."

"I'll go get mine and Sharpay's. I'll check on her to make sure she made it." Anna said walking down the hall towards the bedrooms.

I rubbed my butt. "My ass is going to hurt in the morning." Anna and Sharpay came out with their keys. "Did you make it?" I asked Sharpay.

She started laughing again. "Barely."

We stood where we were before with our beers. "Okay, how do we do this Anna?"

"First, your going to stab the can with the key. It's going to start spraying fast so put it to your mouth quickly. Then you want to pop the top and drink the rest." She said.

I shrugged. "Sounds easy enough. Ready Shar?"

"Lets do this." She said getting her key ready.

"One, two three, GO!" Anna counted and we all stabbed the key into the can. It spayed out and Sharpay squealed. I covered the hole with my mouth and tilted my head back, drinking down the bubbly liquid. I popped the top.

"What the hell is going on here?"

I looked over to see Troy and the boys at the door. I held my finger up. I was almost finished. I sucked it down. I finished, slamming the can down. "Troy! They're trying to get me drunk!" I said, trying to catch my breath. I covered my mouth and burped.

"Don't blame it on us! She took like four shots already!" Anna said after she finished her beer.

"They tag teamed me in Never have I ever." I said, walking over to Troy.

"What are you wearing?" He asked.

"My costume. You like?" I asked, shaking my hips. My skirt jingled and Troy smirked at me. He nodded. I wrapped my arms around his neck. I ran my hands through his hair. "I hope you showered."

He chuckled. "I did."

"Good." I leaned in, kissing his lips slowly.

"Okay, okay. Enough of that." Anna said, pulling me away from him.

"But I love him!" I whined as she dragged me away.

"I need a drink." Pearlman said.

"Shots! Shots! Shots! Shots! Everybody!" I sang as Anna sat me down on the couch.

"I'm going to get her some water." Sharpay said.

"I hope it's Jesus water." I snorted, laughing. "Get it? Wine! Bible joke!" I looked at them and they blinked at me. "You guys suck." I said, whining.

"I've never seen Gabi drunk." Kyle said. "I think we should document this."

"No!" I shook my head. "No, I just need another drink. Where's Troy?"

"He's getting ready Gab." Sharpay said. "Here, drink up."

I took the water bottle and drank it reluctantly. I put the cap on and handed it back to Sharpay. "I don't like it, I'd rather have a beer." I got up and pulled out two more cups. "Double shot for Kyle and Pearlman!"

"What?" The both said, whipping their head over to me.

I picked up the tequila, taking a drink from the bottle before pouring it into the two cups. I sighed. "Burns so good." I put the cap on and handed the cups to the boys. "Drink up assholes."

"Better do it, she might punch you." Sharpay warned.

Troy came out in his Doctor costume. I smirked at him. "I think we have a sexy doctor in the house." I made my way over to him, wrapping my arms around his waist. "You look so hot." I said, kissing along his jaw. I pulled away from him suddenly. "I need to get you a drink!"

"No! Gabi, I'll wait." He said but I chose to ignore him.

"Double shots from Troy!" I poured tequila into another cup and brought it over to him. "Go."

"Come on Bolton, don't be a pussy." Pearlman said.

"Why are you friends with him?" Sharpay asked, pointing to Byron. "He's a dick."

"I have no idea." Troy said just before he down the shot.

Anna was taking beer out of the fridge. "Shot gun contest!"

"Yes! I'm going to win." I said, taking a beer from her.

She handed them out and once we were ready she counted down. I finished mine first, slamming the can down before running carefully to the bathroom. My bladder was about to burst. I washed my hands when I was done and walked out of my room. I walked back into the living room where everybody was.

"Who wants to dance?" I asked, turning up the music.

I started dancing while the boys took another drink. Sharpay and Anna started dancing with me. Troy watched me for a minute before he walked over. "I guess we're not going to the dorms." Pearlman yelled to Troy.

He just shrugged, wrapping his arms around my waist, pulling me against him. I kissed his lips firmly. "That's fine with me." I mumbled against his lips, kissing him again firmly.

* * *

**I love writing drunk characters. I think i'm going to write one whole story and just have them be drunk characters. Lol that would be perf. uh, i started a new short story last night. I don't know how many chapters yet. Still working on other stories. It seems like writers block kicked in for the other stories but i'm trying to get them going... slowly but surely. In other news Happy May and happy friday! don't forget to review!**


	54. Christmas

After a two day recovery from Halloween, I focused my time on school. Sharpay and I talked more and I felt closer to Anna. We went back home for Thanksgiving. For Troy's birthday we went drunk ice skating with Anna, Pearlman, and Kyle. It wasn't one of our smartest ideas but it was so much fun. Our families were coming here for Christmas so Troy and I had to go out find decorations. We got all the basic stuff from places like Wal-Mart and Target.

We were now on a hunt for the perfect Christmas Tree. We took Troy's truck to a local Christmas tree farm. They were flying in in a couple of days so we had to find one today. I was looking at a big Douglas Fur. Troy was holding it up, spinning it for me.

"I think this one is good." He said.

I made a face and shook my head. "Nah."

Troy set the tree back down and sighed. "Baby, come on. This is the tenth tree you looked at."

"There is a billion trees in the world and we looked at ten." I said. "Let's look at this one." I said, pointing to the one behind it.

He sighed and picked up the tree. He twirled it around slowly. "My hands are all sappy." He complained.

I bit my lip. "Drop it." Troy picked it up and dropped it. I nibbled on my lip and he twirled it again. "That one is nice."

"Yeah because it weighs like fifty pounds."

I pouted. "It's so beautiful though. I think it's the one."

"Okay, let's get it." He said. "I'm tired of looking at trees. We've been here for almost two hours now."

I laughed. "I'm sorry I wanted the perfect Christmas tree. This Christmas is going to be perfect."

He smiled at me, shaking his head. "As long as you're happy baby."

He carried the tree over to the person who evens out the bottom. "We need a stand and a tree skirt." I told him. "I'll be right back. Don't cut without me."

"Yes ma'am." Troy said as I walked away. I picked a nice tree skirt and a stand. The man was putting the tree on the table. I handed the stuff to Troy.

"How do y'all want the tree cut?" The man with the chainsaw asked.

"I want a good two inches off the bottom." I instructed. "I think we should trim these bottom branches and everything will be perfect."

"You got it." He handed me the tag. "You're going to want to pay for this inside."

"Thank you, sir." I walked back over to Troy. He handed me back the things I was going to buy. "Watch him." I warned Troy.

I walked inside the store and bought the things I needed. I took my bag and walked back to the truck. The chainsaw guy and Troy had slid it in the back of the truck. They tied it down so it wouldn't fly out. I put the other stuff in the cab as I got in.

Troy shook his hand and got in the truck. "What now?" He asked me.

"We go home, set up the tree and put all the presents under the tree. Come on, you act like you've never celebrated Christmas before." I said rubbing his knee.

He stuck his tongue out at me. "I usually don't do all this though. My parents do."

"Spoiled." I said, smirking at him.

He smirked. "Don't hate."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Just drive Troy."

He leaned over and kissed my lips firmly. "I'm hungry."

"We can have sex later, we have to get the tree up first." I said, pushing him away from me.

Troy laughed. "Not that kind of hungry."

"Well we can stop on the way home." I assured him. He started the truck and I leaned against Troy's arm. Troy drove towards home, we stopped at a drive thru before we got home. I carried the food inside while Troy grabbed the tree. He laid the tree in the front living room before washing his hands to eat.

We sat on the stools between the kitchen and the front room. We ate our lunch while I figured out a place to put the Christmas tree. I got up and opened the curtains in the window facing the street. I put my arms over my head.

"What are you doing?" Troy asked me, smirking.

"I'm a tree! Do I look good right here?" I said, turning around to look at him.

"You look beautiful right there." He chuckled at me.

"Good, we have a place for our tree." I said grinning. "I can't wait to put it up, so we can sing Christmas Carols and drink hot chocolate." I cleared my throat. _"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire….."_

Troy watched me, smirking. "You don't even know that song, do you?"

I smiled and shook my head. "Nope, but I'm going to learn it."

I walked back over to the counter and threw the garbage away. I walked out to the truck to get the tree stand and the skirt I just bought. I walked back inside and ripped the packaging off it. I set it where I wanted it on the floor. I helped Troy take the netting off of the tree. We stuck it in the holder and looked at it. It was pretty straight.

I turned the clasps to hold it and Troy dropped it, letting all the tree branches fall down. He turned it slowly. "Perfect." He stopped at the best side.

"We need water and to put this little packet in it." I said, picking up the packet of 'tree saver' off the ground.

He walked away to go get water while I read the directions. He poured the water into the stand and I poured the saver in it. I washed my hands and watch Troy sweep up the pine needles that fell to the floor. "We should put the lights on first." Troy said, looking up at me.

"Alright." I walked over to the bag of lights. I took the two boxes of tree lights out and walked over to Troy. "How are we going to do this?" I asked him.

"Well lets unravel the first bunch and we can do the bottom." Troy offered.

I opened one box and unraveled the first bunch like he said to do. I plugged them in and we started wrapping the lights around the tree. We unraveled the second bunch and I opened the second box. We plugged the lights into the other one. Once we were finished with the lights on the tree we watched them blink for a minute.

"It's so pretty." I said, grinning.

"You picked a good tree baby." We gave each other a fist bump and we started on the ornaments.

We put the angel on top of the tree last. By the time we were done we were ready for a nap. Troy swept up the fallen pine needles again. I put the tree skirt around it and we brought all the presents out from our room placing them under the tree.

"My mom would be very proud of us." Troy said, as we sat on the couch, watching the lights blink. "Christmas was her favorite holiday."

I smiled at him. "I'm glad we made her proud." I leaned against his chest.

He leaned down and kissed my lips slowly. "I love you."

"And I love you too." I kissed his lips before getting up. "I need to work on my Christmas carols. _Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…_ then jack frost does something…" I mumbled to myself walking to my computer desk.

* * *

"Mom!" I yelled through the airport getting her and every other persons attention. She grinned widely, rushing over to me. I hugged her tightly as she kissed the top of my head.

"My babies." She squeezed me tightly before wrapping her arms around Troy. He hugged her back. "How have you guys been? You guys look so good. California has been doing you well. I miss you guys so much."

I blinked at her. "Mom, we were literally at your house three weeks ago."

She frowned. "I know but I miss you every second you're gone." She was smothering Troy and I ran up to Cam, giving him a big hug.

"Your mother is crazy." He said, hugging me tightly.

"Don't I know it. I missed you dad." I rested my head against his chest.

"Missed you too Gabi-girl." I smiled, pulling away from him. "CJ, Christopher, hurry up."

I looked at my brothers, walking toward me. "Look at them. They need to stop growing." Each of them were a good foot taller than I was. I hugged them both. "Hi boys."

"Hey Gabi." CJ said. His voice was deeper than before.

"Look at you, you actually sound like a man now." I teased him. "Chris, you're so handsome." I squeezed his face. "I missed you guys at Thanksgiving."

"We missed you too. Mom went all crazy for thanksgiving since she wasn't going to see us for Christmas." Chris said.

"Come on, let's get your stuff. We can catch up later." I patted their backs as we walked over to Troy and the adults. I gave Jack a tight hug before helping them with their things.

We put all the luggage in the back of Troy's truck. Troy, CJ, and Chris rode with Troy in the truck and I took the adults back to the house. I had been running around all day cleaning up, hiding the alcohol from Halloween, washing sheets and making beds.

We pulled up to the house and brought all their things in. We had a day to relax. Tomorrow was Christmas eve and Troy and I were going to take them ice skating in the city. That was going to be interesting. Anna and Pearlman were going to stop by for a little bit today. Pearlman couldn't go back home like Kyle could and Anna lived 10 minutes away so I invited them over.

Troy and I were letting them get settled in while we settled in on the couch. There was a knock at the door. "I'll get it." I said, getting up. I walked over to the door. "Hey Pearlman."

"Hey Gab, Merry Christmas." He said, smiling.

"You came just in time. We just got home, were probably going to get something to eat if you want to join." I said giving him a hug.

"Sure, Thanks." He smiled, walking into the living room with his bag.

"Hey Pearlman." Troy said as Byron walked over to him.

I walked back to check on my mom and Cam. They were coming out just as I was about to go in. "Hey Gabi, ready for dinner?" Mom asked, hugging me again.

"Yeah, Byron is coming with us. He couldn't go back home so we invited him to stay here so he wouldn't be alone at the dorms." I said. "He's funny, you'll like him."

Mom smiled at me. "You've become such a great person baby."

"You can thank my mama for that. She did all the work." I winked at her.

After an introduction to Byron we went to go to eat. Anna got held up with something but she said she'd come over tomorrow. Dinner was fun we all talked and had a good time, the food was good too. After dinner we went back to the house and everybody got ready for bed.

Chris slept in the room with mom and Cam. CJ and Byron took a couch in the back room. Jack was squared away in his own room and Troy and I were fine in ours. Me and mom got up pretty early because she still had some shopping to do for the boys. They also sent a whole box of presents here from Albuquerque which was coming later today.

* * *

We were walking through a hat store, looking for a new one for CJ. "So Mom." I said, picking up a hat.

"So Gabi." She repeated.

"Are you excited for your wedding coming up?" I said, grinning.

"It's in a couple of months still." She said, looking for CJ's size on a San Jose Sharks hat.

"But are you excited? You can Cam are going to get married and live happily ever after." I said, putting the hat that I tried on back. "A Sharks hat is nice. Troy and I bought him a Stanford one and a CAL snapback."

"Why are they called that?" She asked, finding his size. "I swear this boy has more hats than this store."

I laughed. "Mom, if I knew the answer I would tell you. Hats are his thing. I won't think I've ever seen him without a hat." I said, shrugging.

"That's true. CJ is the easy one. I have no idea what else to get Chris." Mom said with a sigh.

"What did you get for him already?" I asked. Mom walked up to the counter with the hat.

"We got him a keyboard and lessons." Mom said, looking at her nails as she stood in line. "What did you get him?"

"Were going to go see 'A Christmas Carol' in the city before you leave." I told her. She nodded. "I sure you won't have to get him anything else, ma."

She shrugged. "We'll see if I find anything else." She bought the hat and we walked around the for a little bit longer. "What did you get Troy?"

"New breaks for his truck." I said, linking my arm around hers.

"What else?" She asked, looking over at me.

"That's it." I said, shrugging.

"What do you mean that's it?" She pulled me into Spencer's Gifts. "There's plenty of things for you to buy for him in here." She walked towards the back.

I looked at her, horrified. "I am not buying him anything from here."

"Why not? You guys don't like to spice it up?" She asked. "Tingling lubrication…"

I took a deep breath. "Mom." I said under my breath. "Stop!"

"I'm not doing anything wrong." She said shrugging. "Look Gabi, you can tell me anything. I respect whatever decision you've ever made whether it was not talking to your dad for 11 years or going on a month long road trip. I could have easily have said no… But I didn't. I'm sorry I'm making you uncomfortable but I love you and I'm just trying to help."

"I- uh…" I didn't know what to say. I just blinked at her. I thanked god that there was only two other people in the store and they were workers.

"Have you ever experimented with vibrators?"

"Oh my god." I groaned to myself, covering my red face. "No mom." I said calmly. "Do you really want to know about my sex life? Really?"

"Yeah. I do." She said confidently. "I'm going to get this for you." she said pulling something off the shelf.

I covered my eyes, I didn't even want to see what it was. "Okay, I don't care, can we just go?"

"Yep." She said, grabbing a couple more things.

"I'll be outside." I said, walking out the store quickly with my head down. "My mother has lost her mind." I said to myself. I took a seat on the bench trying to just process what happened. I left a permanent reminder to never go in a store that sells 'adult' things with my mother. I shivered to myself. Mom came out with a black bag and walked over to me.

"Ready to go?' Mom asked me.

I nodded my head. "yes, please." We walked to my car and put my seatbelt on. "My first time with Troy was when we went to Dads the first time, when we stayed in flagstaff."

"I knew there was something different about you guys when you came back." She said, looking at me.

"Oh, and when you were schmoozing with dad in Vegas we had sex in his hotel room." I said, starting the car.

"Where was Jack?"

"The casino." I said, licking my bottom lip.

"God, where else did you do it?" She asked.

I thought for a moment. "We went on a date to the roof of the school… we did it there."

"Gabi!" She scolded me.

"In the airplane on the way to Hawaii…. I gave him… oral in his seat." I said, glancing at her.

"You're lying. You're lying to me." She started laughing. "Good one."

"You don't believe me?" I asked, looking at her. She shrugged her shoulders. "I wouldn't lie to you, you can ask Troy if you'd like."

"I'll save him the embarrassment."

"Hey! What about me?" I said, putting my hand on my chest. "I'm embarrassed too! My mother wants to know about my sex life. She wants to buy me… stuff. How would you feel if your mom did that to you?"

"I don't know…" She said trailing off.

"Oh! And we got caught by some guy on a beach in South Carolina." I said, glancing at her. "You want my dirty laundry? I'll air it all out for you ma."

"Dear god, Gabriella." She rubbed her forehead.

I just shrugged. "We were going to do it in the tree house but Jack caught us, that time I snuck out." I nibbled on my top lip. "I think that's all the stories I have for you… I'll let you know when I think of more." She just shook her head at me and I smirked to my self. She wanted to know so I told her. I drove back to the house and I parked in the driveway. "I think that was a productive talk."

"That was something."

"I don't know what you were expecting." I said honestly. "I love you Mom."

"And I love you too babe." She said, kissing my forehead. "Even if you're crazy."

I scoffed. "I'm the crazy one."

She nodded, laughing. "Your dads side, I'm telling you."

I laughed. "I can't argue with that. Aunt Carmen, she's a crazy bitch."

"That she is." Mom agreed. "that she is."

* * *

For Christmas Eve we went ice skating as planned, Anna came along with us. She and Pearlman blended right in with our big family group. We walked around the city a little bit before we headed back to the house. We just relaxed, watched Christmas movies, and played some basketball.

On Christmas Day we all slept in a little bit. I made some coffee and hot chocolate and we opened presents. Thankfully my mom didn't wrap her 'presents' that she bought for me and put them under the tree. We had a nice morning and I looked at the time and decided to call my dad.

I stepped out of the room and walked outside. Troy and I finally put a hammock up a couple months ago. I took a seat on the hammock and rocked my self back and forth while I called my dad. I actually hadn't talked to him since Thanksgiving but he couldn't talk very long.

"Hello?"

"Hey Dad, it's Gabi." I said, looking over at the basketball hoop.

"Hey Gabi, Merry Christmas." Dad said.

"Merry Christmas to you. We haven't talked in a while. How's everything?" I asked him.

He sighed. "it's alright. How are you?"

"I'm good, everybody is here. We're having a big Christmas. You, Pheebs and Aaron should come next year for Thanksgiving." I said.

He cleared his throat. "Maybe."

"Is there something wrong?" I asked him.

"Um, Phoebe moved out."

I froze. "Phoebe moved out? Why?" My heart started pounding.

"We grew apart." He said, calmly. "We are trying to work things out. I just gave Aaron back to her."

My stomach dropped. "Wow, um… okay. I hope everything works out. Keep me posted."

"I will. I love you Gabi."

"You too, bye." I hung up the phone and sighed. I took a deep breath and called Phoebe.

"Hello?" She answered with a sniff.

"Hey Phoebe, it's Gabi." I said, rubbing my pant leg. "I just talked to my father. I wanted to know how you are doing."

"Oh Gabi, I'm okay. Thank you for being concerned." She said softly. "I would offer to let you talk to Aaron but I just put him down for a nap."

"It's okay, I can talk to him later." I said softly. "What happened? You guys were so great together."

"What did he tell you?" Phoebe asked me.

I sniffed, pushing my hair back. "He told me that you grew apart."

She snorted. "Of course he would. Growing apart my ass. He's been sleeping with his coworker. Lying, cheating ass…" She trailed off. My heart broke and I shut my eyes tightly. "Oh God, I'm so sorry Gabriella. You don't need to be hearing this from me."

"He wouldn't tell me and I'm not seven anymore. Thank you for telling me. This must be hard on Aaron." I said, biting my lip.

"He doesn't realize what's going on yet, thank god." She said softly. "Oh god, Marry Christmas." She started sniffling again. "It wasn't supposed to turn out like this."

I felt my bottom lip quiver. The tears started rolling down my face. "I'm sorry Phoebe. Nobody deserves it, really. I know how you feel but you and Aaron are going to make it though. Me and my mom did."

Phoebe sniffed. "Thank you Gabi."

"Hey, Phoebe. I love you. Open a bottle of wine and enjoy your Christmas, okay? Don't let him bring you down." I said, wiping my tears from my face.

"I love you too Gabi. I'll give Aaron a kiss for you when he wakes up. Have a good Christmas." She said, taking a deep breath.

"I'll call you later. Bye Pheebs." I hung up. I let the last couple of tears fall out. I wiped my face and sighed. So much for the perfect Christmas.

* * *

**LOL i couldn't stop awkwardly laughing at the Gabi/mom part when i was writing it. I know this story is kind of on fast forward but i didn't want to drag out the end so i just stopped at 'bigger' events. If yall get what i'm saying. **

**I'm in need of a little help. Just a quick question: do you guys like reading 'flashback' stories? like the first few paragraphs are from present day... then it goes into flashback, then in and out? or does it get confusing? I'm writing a new story and i'm trying to figure out the easiest way to post it without y'all getting confused. Let me know if you have opinions about that or PM me if you want to help. **

**Happy Saturday! don't forget to review!**


	55. Wedding

Everything felt weird after Christmas. I felt like everything changed. I mean, I sucked it up for my mom before she left. I never really told Troy what happened. I just threw myself into my school work because Troy was always knee deep in basketball. I still went to all his home games and everything but we didn't really seem like we talked a lot and when we did it was about basketball.

As March neared and it was getting closer to Aarons birthday. They miraculously got 'back together' for Aarons sake. Dad didn't know that I knew the truth. I was very short with him during phone calls. Troy wasn't able to go with me to Arizona this year. He somewhere on the East coast.

I didn't want to be around my dad anymore. Just the fact that he even went though with cheating on his wife makes me sick. Phoebe picked me up from the airport and I was determined to suck it up for Aaron. I wouldn't let my feelings get the best of me like I have before.

"Gabi." Pheebs said, looking over at me.

"Hm?" I responded, looking back at her. I had been staring out the window since I got in the car. I didn't even realize she probably had been talking to me the whole time.

"Are you okay?" She asked, concerned.

She was the first person that noticed that I haven't been myself lately. I shook my head. "Yeah, I'm fine." I said, turning my head to look out the window.

"You probably miss Troy."

"Yeah." I said half heartedly. "I do."

"You'll be together soon enough. You know, I'm running out of fun party games for all of Aarons friends to do." She said, biting her lip thoughtfully.

"Do you have a pinata?" I asked her.

She smacked her lips. "I hadn't even thought about that!"

"Just get a pinata, some candy, and a bat. Boys love to ruin things." I said, monotone.

"Gabi, are you sure you're okay?" She asked, smoothing down my hair.

I nodded my head. "I didn't get much sleep last night."

"You can go nap with Aaron, I'll go out and get a pinata." Phoebe said.

"I can do that. I can put him to sleep." I said, looking over at him. "I missed him a lot. I can't believe he's already seven."

"You're telling me. The day he was born, that was the best day of my life." She said with a soft smile.

We pulled up to the house and sat there for a minute. "Where did you go when you were… apart?" I asked, looking over at her.

"I stayed with my parents, they live up about ten miles up north." She said, shrugging.

"Do they like my father?"

"They _did_."

I nodded. "I wouldn't either." I got out of the car, grabbing my duffle bag. I walked up the steps and in the door.

"Gabi!" Aaron said rushing over to me.

"Hey bud!" I wrapped my arms around him tightly. I smiled for the first time in… I couldn't remember. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too! I waited up for you." He said, grinning.

"Hey Gabi." Dad said, giving me a one armed hug.

"Hi dad."

"Gabi is going to get your ready for your nap." Phoebe said, looking at me.

"I thought we weren't going to do naps anymore." Dad said to her.

"Well he's been up since five thirty, he needs a nap." Phoebe said.

I looked over at my brother. "Come on bud, sissy is going to take a nap with you."

He grinned. "Okay!" He took my hand and we walked up the stairs while Phoebe and Dad argued quietly. It brought back bad memories of my mom and my dad. "I got a bed under my bed so you can sleep in my room with me!"

"Why don't you show me, bud." I said, following him into his room.

He squatted and pulled out the bed under his bed. "This one is for you!"

"Thanks buddy. Are you excited for your birthday?" I asked him.

"Yeah! I'm going to be seven years old. That's almost two whole hands." He said excitedly. He kicked his shoes off and laid in his bed. "Gabi…" He said, looking over at me.

I was putting my bag in the corner. "Yeah, bud?"

"Can you lay next to me, please?" He asked.

"Sure thing." I kicked off my shoes and took off my jacket. I walked over to the bed and climbed behind my little brother.

"Do you remember my fifth birthday?" He asked me.

I nodded. "I do, that was a fun day."

"You were bald." He noted. "I have a picture of us, I'll show it to you later."

I smiled, nodding again. "Okay." I said quietly.

He laid for a little bit without talking. He let out a sigh. "Gabi."

"Yeah?"

"Why are mommy and daddy fighting?" He asked, actually turning to face me.

"Your mommy and daddy just have grown up things to work out. They are trying to work it out for you because they love you so much. They'll be okay. I'll be there for you no matter what, okay?" I said, rubbing his back.

"I love you sissy." He said, cuddling against me.

"I love you too buddy." I laid with him and he fell asleep quickly.

Why did love have to fall apart? Why couldn't people just keep it in their goddamn pants? You have a husband or wife or girlfriend or boyfriend at home who loves you. It was just so frustrating. I had finally come to terms with love and being in love. I thought that sometimes there were happy endings. My father shot it all to hell. I couldn't believe him.

I felt like I needed to punch something. I just held onto my little brother tighter until my phone started vibrating. I climbed out of bed and closed the door. I walked down stairs and finally answered my phone avoiding where my dad was.

"Hello?" I answered, walking outside. It was fucking hot, that was a bad idea.

"Hey Gabi!" Shane said from the other side of the line. I felt like I haven't talked to Shane in forever. He was still in Vegas and we talked every couple of months. He just celebrated his thirtieth birthday.

"Shane! I miss you so much." I said, taking a seat on the concrete. "How have you been?"

"I've been good, I have some news actually." He said.

"What's that?" I asked, biting my lip.

"I'm thinking about moving to California." He said.

"No way! Please do it!" I begged. "You can move in with us until you get on your feet! We have two spare rooms!"

"I don't know about that, but I'll see what I can do." He said. "How's everything back home?"

I sighed. "Do you want the good news or the bad news first?"

"Lets take good news." He said.

"Mom and Cam are getting married in May. I planned the whole thing. It's going to be perfect." I said, smiling to myself.

"Tell them congratulations for me." Shane said. "now bad news."

"My dad is a fucking idiot. He cheated again and poor phoebe took him back so now there's this awkward tension in the house. I'm here for my brothers birthday. " I said with a sigh.

"Wow, I'm sorry." He said, breathing out. "How are you?"

"I'm so confused. I don't really know what to feel." I said, leaning my head on my knees. "I just don't know if love can actually last. I don't know why I'd even try, you know?" I rubbed my forehead. "I just.. I don't know."

"Hey, you and Troy are still young. You have time to figure all this stuff out. I'm not telling you to do anything rash. I'm sure you guys will still try to be friends even if you aren't together. You have to try. You can't just give up, Gab." He said encouragingly.

"I know." I closed my eyes. "I have a lot to think about."

"Focus on school. Don't let it defeat you. You're stronger than this. I know that from first hand experience. When I first met you, you were a little girl with daddy issues. Now you're a young lady. You're an adult and you have all the strength in the world to be and do whatever you want." Shane said. "I'll be here, Troy will be here and Your mom will be here no matter what."

"Thank you Shane. I needed that." I said taking a deep breath.

"You're welcome. I'll be in touch, letting you know what's going on." He said.

"I love you Shane."

"Love you too Gab." He said. "Take care." He hung up and I sighed.

I got up from the cement. I was sweating, it was so hot. I walked inside and straight to the kitchen. I grabbed a cup from the cabinent and filled it up with ice. I poured some water in the cup of ice. I took a drink about what Shane thought. It sounded pretty familiar. I thought about what I said to Aaron. It was practically the same thing. I wanted to laugh. I should take my own advice.

* * *

Throughout the weekend I avoided having a real conversation with my dad. I spent most of my time around Phoebe or playing with Aaron. Troy was already back when I got back home. He and the boys were watching basketball on the TV.

I went straight towards my room and unpacked, sorting my laundry. I grabbed my basket and walked out to the garage. I put my clothes in the washer with the soap and closed the top, turning it on. I felt somebody pick me up and set me on the washer.

"Hey beautiful." He put his hands on my thighs as he kissed my lips. "I missed you this weekend."

"I missed you too." I said, running my fingers through his hair. "How was the game?"

"It was alright. I didn't play much." He said, leaning against me.

"I'm sorry." I said softly, stroking the back of his neck. "You should get back to the boys."

He pulled away, frowning at me. "I'm okay, they were going back to the dorms anyway."

"You should give them a ride to BART." I suggested.

"They'll be fine. How was Aarons birthday?" He asked, rubbing my thighs.

"It was fun. He had a great time." I said, sliding off the washer. He trapped me against it. "You'll never guess who called."

"who?" He asked, looking at me.

"Shane, he's thinking about moving to California."

Troy's eyebrow quirked up. "Really?"

I nodded, giving him a small smile. "We had a nice conversation. I missed him a lot."

"You should tell him he can live with us, we have more than enough room." Troy suggested, wrapping his arms around me.

"I told him, he said he'd think about it." I leaned into Troy. He kissed the top of my head hugging me tightly.

"I think we should go out for a date." He said, nuzzling his face in my neck. "We haven't been on one in a long time."

Troy kissed my neck slowly. "I know." I murmured quietly. "What do you have in mind?"

"Mmm, how about a walk along the beach at sunset and a romantic dinner in the city?" He pulled away looking at me.

I smiled at him. "That sounds really nice."

"Come on, lets get ready." He laced my fingers in between his. He lead me back to our room and into our closet. "I want you to wear a pretty dress but don't get dressed up, okay?"

I nodded, "alright."

I picked out a simple dress and put it on. I left my hair down the way it was. I put some sandals on and Troy stepped into the closet getting changed himself. I took a deep breath, putting a little bit of make up on. He came out of the closet with a tie around his neck. I looked at him confused.

"is the tie too much?" He asked.

"Yeah." I said, pulling it off him. I hung it up on the door knob. "Are you ready?"

"Yup." He grabbed his wallet and his keys. "Are you ready to go, beautiful?"

I grabbed our phones, putting them in my purse. "Yes."

He lead me out to my car, opening the passengers door for me. I got in and he closed the door behind me. He got in and we buckled our seatbelts. He started driving and I leaned back on the seat. He held my hand, enjoying the comfortable silence.

He drove across the Bay bridge into the city. He made his way around the confusing streets of San Francisco and we ended up by a beach near the Golden Gate. We got out of the car and I took my sandals off. Troy took his shoes and socks off, rolling up his pants. We left our phones in the car.

We walked down to the water and put our feet in. "It's freezing." He said, stepping out of the water quickly.

"I know, it's colder than LA and Florida." I said, leaning against him.

"You know we didn't have a two year anniversary celebration." He said, taking my hand.

"You had basketball and I had to work." I said, walking with him down the beach.

"I should have made it up to you earlier but I forgot and I'm sorry." Troy said, pulling me closer to him.

I looked up at him. "It's okay. I kind of forgot too." I smiled sheepishly.

He smiled back at me. "This is kind of a make up for it even if it is two months late."

"It's perfect babe." I promised.

"I love you more than anything. I know I've been a little self absorbed lately. I've been all about basketball."

"It's okay, Troy. Basketball means a lot to you. I've been pretty focused on school as well." I breathed in the salty ocean air and relaxed against him. We had stopped to watch the sun fall out of the sky.

He put his arms around me and we stood in silence, sinking into the sand. He kissed the back of my neck gently. "Are you ready, babe?" He asked, rubbing my waist. I nodded silently and we made our way back to the car.

* * *

"Gabriella, Where is the veil? Oh god, everything is going wrong."

"Mom, can you sit down please? We have plenty of time. I'll find the veil and we will be on our way once you relax." I told her calmly.

My mother had finally lost it. She was calm when she got engaged. She was calm when we started planning the wedding. She was calm last night but today she decided to have the mother of all bitch fits…. No pun intended. I had to find her stupid veil that she didn't even need. My purple dress was suffocating my boobs and I hadn't eaten anything this morning.

"Gabi, I think I left it at home!"

"Mom, you don't need it."

"But I do need it! It completes the look." She exasperated.

I rubbed my forehead. We were already on our way to the wedding. I picked up my phone and called the only person that could help me right now. "Hey babe."

"Troy, did you guys leave yet?" I asked, biting my lip.

"We just got here." He said.

"Shit! Do me a favor and drive back to my house really quickly. Go into my room and pick up the veil that's sitting right on the bed, please." I begged.

"Uh-"

"Troy, my mother is going fucking crazy. Can you please? Speed, I'll pay for your ticket. I don't fucking care. I'm about to fucking crack myself and I don't think we want that, do we?" I said, breathing heavily.

"I'm not going crazy." Mom protested.

"Troy please." I begged again.

"Fine… Dad, I need the keys. I'll be back in 10. Don't start without me." He said.

"Thanks baby. I wouldn't dare." I grinned in satisfaction and hung up the phone. "Okay, so Troy is getting the veil, all you need to do is calm down."

My mom started tearing up. "You look so pretty, my baby."

"Mom, please! Stop crying. You're getting married, not me. I love you mom but you need a horse tranquilizer." I took a deep breath. "Now look out the window thoughtfully while I take pictures of you." I said, bringing my camera up to my eye.

We were sitting in the back of a limo she rented just for the two of us. She said she wanted us to ride in style and she and Cam would use it when they left after. I took a deep breath and enjoyed the quiet. We pulled up to a stop and the driver opened the door. I got out first and helped mom out.

She wasn't wearing an expensive, over-the-top gown, she was wearing a simple champagne colored dress that made her look like the hot mama she was. I walked with her into the park center. Luckily they had separate bride and groom rooms for them to get out of the heat in. It was May but thankfully it wasn't blazing hot.

"Mom I need you to stay here and relax. I'm going to go talk to some people and I'll be right back." I said, patting her knee.

"Okay." She said quietly. She seemed to calm down again.

I walked out of the room and walked over to Cam's room. CJ answered the door after I knocked. "Gabi-girl!" Cam grinned at me as I walked in. "You look beautiful."

I smiled, "Wait until you see mom." He smiled back at me fixing his tie. "I just wanted to let you know we were here. She had a little meltdown in the car but she's alright now. Troy's getting her veil that she left at home."

Cam just shook his head, laughing. "God, I love her."

"Good. I can't wait for this to be all official. You took care of the Photographer right?" I asked him.

He nodded. "Everything is perfect Gabi, relax."

"You sounded like me five minutes ago. I'm going to go make sure my mom didn't go cray-cray in her little room alone." I gave him a big hug. "Love you Daddy."

"Love you too Gabi-girl." He kissed the top of my head.

I hugged CJ and Chris. "I love you Brothers."

"I love you sister." They said, laughing and hugging me back.

I let them go and walked out of the room. I took a deep breath and walked outside. I was greeted with a bunch of people. I smiled and said hello to everybody, even if I didn't know them. I looked out to the parking lot and saw Troy's dads car pull up.

I politely excused myself and walked quickly over to the parking lot. Troy got out of the car and handed me the veil with a sigh. "I only ran one red light." He said, closing the car door.

I smiled at him. "That's my boy." I leaned in and kissed his lips slowly.

He grinned, holding my waist. "You look so beautiful. Everybody's eyes are going to on you." He ran his fingers down my face. I rolled my eyes at him. He leaned his forehead against mine, kissing my lips firmly. I parted my lips and he slipped his tongue in.

I wrapped my arms around him as we made out against his dads car until I remembered we had a wedding to go to. I pushed him away from me. "Shit. We have to go."

He chuckled as I picked up my dress and walked quickly back to my moms room. "What took so long?" Mom asked, looking at me. She took the veil from me and stuck it in her hair. I looked at myself in the mirror and fixed my lipstick.

"I got a little side tracked." I smiled innocently.

"Gabriella!" My mom scolded.

"What? We were just making out. Sorry." I looked at her and she smiled, shaking her head at me. "I'm going to catch up with the boys making sure they're ready then I'll come and get you."

"You better come back." She said, pointing at me.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

Cam had got everybody seated and the boys and I were ready to go. We came back and got mom. I wasn't holding any flowers but I was walking in between my brothers. Once we were signaled Me, CJ, and Chris walked down the aisle. I kissed each of their cheek before they walked behind their dad.

I stood, clasping my hands in front of me. Everybody stood up and Mom walked down the aisle. I was afraid to say she was right. The veil made the everything perfect. I smiled at her as she walked down the aisle. She handed me her bouquet of flowers and I gave her a tight hug before she turned to Cam.

I watched Mom and Cam commit their selves to each other. They were perfect together and I hope they stayed together for a long time. I watched the way that Cam looked at my mom and I knew that love was real. There were going to be happy endings. You have to go through trials to get through it but in the end you'll find your way to the person you're supposed to be with.

I looked out into the crowd of people and saw Troy and his dad sitting in the front row. Troy was watching me and I smiled at him. I hoped in a couple years this would be me and him getting married. He looked at me like he was thinking the same thing. Mom and Cam were announced to kiss and we all clapped for them. They made their way back down the aisle and I walked over to Troy, wrapping my arms around him.

"I love you." I said, quietly, kissing his cheek.

"I love you." He said, equally as quiet as people started leaving. "Do you want to ride with us over to the reception?"

"I have to drive the boys but I'll meet you over there." He nodded. I gave him a kiss and walked to Cam's car.

* * *

**First part of the wedding. The second part will be up soon because i feel nice today. Don't forget to review!**


	56. Reception

I let CJ drive over to the reception. He had his learners permit and I decided to help him learn how to drive. Chris was clutching on to the door handle in the back. "So Brothers, are you guys happy to be a family?" I asked them.

"Yeah, We love Marie." Chris said from the back.

"What does your mom think?" I asked, looking back at him.

"She's happy he's happy, I guess." CJ said.

I licked my lips. "What happened? If you don't mind me asking."

"They fell out of love." CJ said sarcastically. "I don't believe they were ever in love because they've been fighting since as long as I could remember. Now that I think about it I'm surprised they lasted as long as they did."

"They got married too young." Chris said. "That's what my mom said, at least. They didn't go out and enjoy life before they got married."

"Yeah. I think that's what my parents did too… Actually my dad is just a fickle asshole." I said shrugging. "I'm so glad my mom is happy. I wish they would have met each other sooner."

CJ just nodded. "I'm not getting married until I'm at least thirty."

"Well you never know, CJ. But do as much as you want while you're in high school and in college so when you do find a girl and want to settle down, you don't want anybody else." I said, looking at him. "That's all I have to say."

"Are you ready to commit to Troy?" Chris asked from the back seat.

"We've been together for two years. I'm not even allowed to drink yet. I am definitely not ready to settle down. I love him and I want to marry him… just when I'm done or almost done with college." I said, watching CJ park. "Good job brother."

"Thanks Gabs. Dad didn't let me drive here because Chris was having a panic attack."

I giggled and looked back at him. "Last time I was in a car with him… it wasn't pretty." Chris mumbled.

I shook my head. "Come on boys." I got out of the car and CJ tossed me the keys. I walked ahead of them, making sure the ballroom was perfect. I made sure the catering was okay. The Photographer was there, waiting for us. The limo pulled up and Mom and Cam stepped out.

We took a lot of pictures together as people came in. Jack and Troy were the first people here to help. They were taking control of the dining room while we finished up taking pictures. The boys and I left to go make sure everything was okay while they took pictures alone. I walked inside and everything seemed to be okay.

Troy was standing on the stage talking to the guys from the band. He looked around and his eyes found mine. He waved me over and I made my way though the crowd. I stood in front of them. "Hey." I said, smiling.

"This is Gabriella Montez. Daughter of the bride and maid of honor. She has an amazing voice. She'd be perfect for the song." Troy said.

"Hey, what are you volunteering me for?" I asked, looking at Troy.

"This is Kurt, he's the lead singer. He thought it would be better if the first song was sung by somebody close. Cameron already picked a song, so we just need to find someone to sing it." Troy said.

"I'm not doing it. Not alone at least. Wait. I don't even know the song." I said, looking at both of them.

"Come with me." Kurt said, pulling me and Troy away. "We'll play the guitars, we can give you a tambourine or something."

"A tambourine?" I looked at them confused. "Oh god, fine. Give me the song. I'll sing it with Troy."

"What?" Troy perked up.

"If I'm going down, you're going down with me babe."

Kurt laughed. "I like her, okay, lets go over it really quickly."

We walked back into the ballroom after going over the song a couple of times. Troy and I got seated while Mom and Cam walked in. They said a quick hello to everybody before they took a seat. We got served pretty quickly and Troy and I talked amongst ourselves while we ate.

Somebody tapped on a glass getting every bodies attention. I looked up, wiping my mouth. Cam and my mom were standing a couple people down from me. "Thank you all for coming and celebrating this day with us. I just married the love of my life and we are the happiest we've ever been in our lives. Marie has a beautiful daughter, Gabriella and she alone has taught me so much. My boys are my world. The fact that we get along so well just makes everything better. This has truly been one of the best days of my life. To my wife and my family and a new life together." Cam said holding up a drink.

"Cheers." Everybody said holding up their drinks.

"I know the kids want to say something." Cam said.

My eyes widened. I looked over at the boys who were sitting on the other side of me. "We wanted to say something?" I asked CJ.

"No." Chris said, getting up.

I sighed and got up as well. CJ got up and I stood in the middle of them. "We didn't really prepare anything so we're just going to play it by ear. I guess I'll go first. I remember my dad coming home saying he met the most beautiful woman at the grocery store and he's taking her out. I was like sure dad, whatever. But it turns out that they clicked. We started seeing more of this mystery woman and that was Marie. Before we even knew it we were going on vacations together and living with her and Gabi. Honestly, I love being at my dads house because I love seeing them so happy. Now I get a step mom and an older sister who care about me unconditionally and that's awesome." CJ said, hugging my shoulder.

"I guess I'll go next." I said, laughing a little bit. "Hi everybody, I'm Gabriella, Daughter of the bride and maid of honor. I knew that this thing between mom and Cam was serious when I caught them making out in the kitchen. Mom and I have been on our own for more than ten years. She's become my best friend and my everything. I always wished she'd find somebody that made her the happiest I've ever seen her. And she did. She found Cam. I want what they have and I will be as happy as they are one day. I love you guys and I'm happy you're finally married."

"I'm Chris. I wasn't sure about my dad getting remarried at first. Once I got to know Marie and Gabi, I knew that we probably couldn't ever be without them again. We make this weird sort of family but that's okay. It makes sense to us and I'm happy to be apart of it. To the bride and groom."

"The bride and groom." Everybody cheered clapping for us.

I hugged my brothers and mom and dad hugged us too. We waited a little bit before Troy and I walked up to the stage. We started talking to the band while the workers cleaned up the space. Once the dance floor was set up Troy tapped on the microphone. "I would like to invite the bride and groom up for their first dance as a married couple." Troy said, into the microphone.

Mom and Cam walked on the dance floor. Mom looked at me confused. I smiled at her as Kurt handed me the tambourine. He sat on a stool in the middle of us. He had a guitar resting comfortably on his knee. I felt a little nervous singing in front of people. I don't think my mom has ever heard me sing. Troy reached over and grabbed my hand as he started playing the guitar.

_"When I look into your eyes_  
_It's like watching the night sky_  
_Or a beautiful sunrise_  
_There's so much they hold_  
_And just like them old stars_  
_I see that you've come so far_  
_To be right where you are_  
_How old is your soul?_

_Well, I won't give up on us_  
_Even if the skies get rough_  
_I'm giving you all my love_  
_I'm still looking up."_

I watched the crowd as Troy sang. Jack looked the most surprised to hear him sing out of everybody. Mom rested her head on her husbands shoulder as she watched Troy sing, smiling. It was my turn now and I was still freaking out. Troy squeezed my hand and I looked up at him. Our eyes connected and I felt okay.

_"And when you're needing your space_  
_To do some navigating_  
_I'll be here patiently waiting_  
_To see what you find_

_Cause even the stars, they burn_  
_Some even fall to the earth_  
_We've got a lot to learn_  
_God knows were worth it._  
_No, I won't give up_

_I don't wanna be someone who walks away so easily_  
_I'm here to stay and make the difference that I can make."_

Troy grinned at me as I slowly started shaking the tambourine to the rhythm of the song. He started singing next.

_"Our differences, they do a lot to teach us how to use_  
_The tools and gifts we got_  
_Yeah, we got a lot at stake._

_And in the end, you're still my friend_  
_At least we did intend for us to work_  
_We didn't break, we didn't burn_  
_We had to learn how to bend_  
_Without the world caving in_  
_I had to learn what I got_  
_and what I'm not_  
_and who I am."_

I returned his smile letting go of his hand. My eyes never left his. One hand gripped the microphone and I shook the tambourine with one hand. We finally sang together.

"_I won't give up on us_  
_Even if the skies get rough_  
_I'm giving you all my love_  
_I'm still looking up_  
_I'm still looking up_

_Well, I won't give up on us_  
_God knows I'm tough enough_  
_We've got a lot to learn_  
_God knows were worth it_  
_No I won't give up."_

Everybody started clapping and I gave Kurt back the tambourine. Troy lead me off the stage. "My heart is pounding. I don't know if I like this or not." I said, looking at him.

"You did great baby." He said, grinning.

I leaned in to kiss him gently. "Meet me back here in an hour and we can go sneak off somewhere." I said, giving him another kiss.

He laughed. "Alright, good luck."

"You too." I said. He walked away and I got approached by a bunch of people.

Cam's family was really nice. I met mostly everybody by the time my mom finally caught up to me. I was getting a drink of water and she was coming to get one. "Hey baby." She said, grabbing a cup of water.

"Hey, ma." I said, taking another drink.

"I didn't know you or troy could sing like that. I mean… wow." She said grinning at me. "You made my first dance so much more special, thank you."

I gave her a hug. "You're welcome. Troy talked me into it and I dragged him up there with me. I learned that song in like fifteen minutes."

"It was beautiful. I know I'm not going to be here when you leave so I want to tell you thank you for everything. It was perfect and I'm sorry about freaking out earlier. I couldn't have done this without you. I want you to know that you are and always will be my first priority. You've become such a beautiful, loving girl and I am so proud of you." She said, tearing up.

I started tearing up as well. She wiped the tears from my face. "I love you mom." I hugged her tightly.

"I love you so much Gabriella." She squeezed me back just as tight. "I still want you to text me when you get home, I'll text you when we land in Greece."

"I still can't believe you're going to Europe without me." I frowned.

"Hey, you'll go to Europe one day." She said, kissing my forehead.

I looked up, checking the time. "I'm going to go find Troy."

"Please, wait till you get home, don't get kicked out of anywhere please." She said, looking at me.

I laughed. "I'll try."

I walked away from her and found Troy talking to somebody. I caught his eye as I walked past him and I walked out side. I kept walking down near a little creek. We were up in the mountains somewhere, it was really pretty though. I took a seat on the bench.

"There you are, I thought I lost you." Troy said, taking a seat next to me.

I leaned into him and he played with my hair. "I love weddings."

"Isn't this the only wedding you've been to?" He asked.

I nodded. "That's why I love it, because everything was perfect. It's the only wedding I want to do this much in, other than my own."

"We have to clean out the room, for Shane." Troy said.

"Oh yeah." I said. I forgot that Shane was moving in in a couple of weeks. He was going to stay with us for a couple of months until he finds a place and gets himself established. I'm glad because I missed him a lot. "We can do that right when we get back home so we don't procrastinate." I nibbled on my lip.

"I can't believe were almost done with our second year of college." He said sighing.

"I can't believe CJ is graduating high school next year."

"I can't believe my mom has been gone for two years."

I rubbed his leg and closed my eyes. "I wish she could be here."

"Me too." He dropped a kiss on the top of my head. "Coach said I'm starting next year."

I smiled up at him. "Great job babe."

"I'm excited to finally play. I felt like I've been working really hard."

"You have." I ran my fingers through his hair. "I'm proud of you."

"I'm proud of you too baby, you've been pulling all A's at school, that's hard." He looked over at me. I smiled at him. "I was serious, you were the most beautiful girl in the room."

"I won't tell mom you said that." I told him, grinning. He chuckled, kissing my lips gently. I put my hands on the back of his head and kissed his lips firmly. He laid me down on the bench kissing my lips firmly. He was trying to find the end of my dress. I pulled away from him. "I promised my mom we wouldn't get kicked out of here."

Troy got up, laughing. "Are you still telling her about all of our sexual experiences?"

"We haven't had any wild ones in a while." I said, shaking my head, laying on the bench. I lifted my knee, letting my dress fall down to my thigh. He was standing in front of the bench. He pulled out his phone. "Are you going to take a picture of me?"

He nodded his head. "Yup. Smile and look pretty." He lifted up his phone, stepping back a little bit.

"Don't fall in the creek." I warned him.

He almost lost his balance. I giggled at him, covering my face with my hands. "You jinxed me." I smiled over at him. "Beautiful."

"Stop taking pictures or I'm going to push you in the creek." I sat up shaking my hair out. I pulled my dress up. "I feel like I'm going to have a nip slip."

"I like nip slips." He said, smirking at me.

"Of course you do." I sat regularly on the bench, watching him.

He stepped back and lost his balance. He fell into the shallow creek and I burst out laughing. "My phone is safe!" He said, putting it in his front pocket.

"You are clumsier than I am." I walked over to him and offered to help him up. He pulled me in with him, soaking the front of my dress. "Troy!" I screeched. I punched him in the arm. "What the fuck."

"Now we match." He said, grinning.

"now I'm all muddy." I wiped my chin on his jacket getting up. My chest down to my crotch was the only part of the dress that was wet. "I hate you sometimes." I said, trying to wring out my dress.

He just laughed. "No, you love me all the time." He got up as well. "Only my ass is wet… this is uncomfortable."

"How did I manage to get no mud on my dress?" I asked, walking towards a sunny spot.

"I don't know babe." He walked over to me. "My ass is wet."

"I know, my front is wet, thanks to you." I said, holding my arms out.

"Gabi, what the hell are you guys doing?" CJ asked, walking over to us.

"Dumb ass fell into the creek and pulled me in so now I'm trying to dry off." I said, looking over at my brother.

"Well your mom wants you, me and Chris are leaving soon. Mom is picking us up in like ten minutes." He said, looking at his watch.

I nodded. "I'll be right there."

"Okay." CJ said, walking back towards the hall.

"Come on, we have to go back inside." I said, looking over at Troy. "What are you doing?"

He had taken his pants off to wring them out. "Trying to make my pants dry faster."

"Put your pants back on! We can't get kicked out of here." I said, glancing back at the hall.

"Fine." He put his pants back on and we walked back to the hall.

* * *

The boys left with their mom. I drove my mom and Cam home because they were a little drunk. I spent the night at Troy's and drove them to the airport in the morning. Troy followed me and I left Cam's car there. We were leaving tomorrow morning so we just went back to Troy's house and spent some quality time with Jack.

When we got back home to California, we cleaned out one of the spare rooms, putting the stuff that was in there in the garage. He was driving a big truck down in the next couple of days. He was putting all his big furniture in storage until he finds a house of his own.

I was excited for him to come up. I've been thinking about it lately and I really wanted to set him up with Anna. They were only a few years apart. She was trying to get a law degree and he was trying to establish his own business. They would be perfect for each other. Shane wasn't just a jock. He recently got his masters online from UNLV in business and marketing. He was a smart guy and I'm sure Anna would be attracted to him. I couldn't wait to set them up.

As the spring semester was coming to a close I spent a lot of time studying and less time at work. The guy that I had been training for a couple of months lost 80 pounds in four months and I was so proud of him. He was doing well, working out more on his own and I was about to take on another client. Everything seemed to be going well and I was ready to take on this summer.

* * *

**Don't forget to review!**


	57. Wine

"Phoebe and I are getting a divorce."

It was a couple weeks after my twenty first birthday. In fact if was my first day of my third year of college. I had such a great day until my dad called me on the way home telling me this. I was stuck in traffic on the bridge, on the phone, hearing this.

"I thought you worked it all out!" I said, frowning.

"I thought we did too, but we decided it would be best if we were separated." Dad said.

I closed my eyes briefly, rubbing my forehead. "God damn it dad. Did you cheat on her again?"

"What? Who told you that?"

"Does it even matter? All that mattered is you ruined your second marriage the same way you ruined your first. How can you do this again? You know what happened the first time." I said, driving a few feet.

"Look, Gabriella. I don't need this from you." He said firmly.

"Then you shouldn't have done it in the first place. If you can't take the heat, stay out of the kitchen. You shouldn't be mad at me for criticizing you for something you did. When you get your head out of your asshole you can call me. Until the mean time, god dad. Keep it in your fucking pants." I hung up my phone and threw it in the back seat of my car.

I did not need this right now, especially on my first day of my new semester. I needed a drink. Once I got out of traffic I practically sped home. I parked in the drive way and got out. I grabbed my books from the back and walked into the house. Troy had basketball, he should be on his way home by now. I dropped my books on my desk and I walked into the kitchen.

Grabbing a bottle of wine, I opened it and let it breathe while I set up my homework. I grabbed a glass and filled it up with the dark red liquid. I took a seat at my desk. I finished my homework and the bottle of wine before Troy got home. I laid on the couch, not watching the TV that was playing. The room was spinning and I was exhausted.

"Baby, I'm home."

"I'm here." I called out. My face felt fuzzy, actually my whole body felt fuzzy.

"What are you doing?" He asked me, holding a pizza in his hands. "Why didn't you answer your phone? I called you like five times."

"My phone is in the car. I got mad on the way home." I sighed, looking at the ceiling. "Love sucks sometimes."

Troy walked into the kitchen, he was moving around but he came back with the empty bottle of wine. "Are you drunk?"

"Yeah…" I trailed off. "I like wine."

"What the hell happened?" He asked me, sitting on the table next to me.

"I was at school then I was at work then I was in the car. My dad called me. They're getting a divorce." I said, looking at him.

"Your mom and Cam?" He asked, worriedly.

"No, stupid. Dad and Phoebe."

He frowned. "I thought they were so in love."

"Well you're always at basketball so you wouldn't know. He's been fucking his coworker since last October. They broke up then got back together before Aarons birthday. Now they're getting a fucking divorce. Isn't that just fucking great?" I laid my head back and closed my eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me this was going on, babe?" He asked, taking my hand.

"Would it even matter?" I asked, peeling my heavy eyelids open. "My dad is a fucking tool. He is such a fucking douche bag. I hate him Troy."

"You don't mean that."

"I do, I hate him. He ruins everything. He couldn't keep it in his pants when he was married to mom and I suffered. He couldn't keep it in his pants and now Aarons going to suffer. He's going to be just as fucked up as I am. Isn't that just great?" I said, covering my face. "Fuck!"

Troy sighed, stroking my hair. "Hey, let's get to bed. Okay?"

"No, I want pizza." I said, sitting up.

He rubbed his forehead and got up. He walked into the kitchen while I curled up on the couch. Troy brought over the box of pizza and sat on the couch next to me. "Here you go." He handed me a slice.

I started eating, silently. "Troy." I said as I finished my first slice.

"Yeah?" He asked, looking at me.

"I want a break." I said, picking up a napkin.

"What?" He asked, choking on his pizza.

"I want a break." I said again, more confidently. "I want you to sleep with any girl you want to. When you get it all out of your system, I'll be here."

"Gabi, what? You're not even making any sense." He said, looking at me confused.

I took a deep breath. "I'm not going to get cheated on. Do it now. Go to Europe and fuck some Euro whores. Do it and if you still want me I'll be here." I cleared my throat and got up. "I'm going to go throw up and sleep in the spare room. Good night."

I walked quickly to the hall bathroom leaving him dumbfounded. I knew I made a rash decision but it was going to be best for both of us. I knew I was going to feel like a train wreck in the morning but right now I had to throw up.

* * *

I was woken up by the landline blaring around the room. Nobody except my mom called on the land line. I answered it with my eyes closed. "What?" I asked, trying to steady my dizzy head.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" mom asked me.

"What?" I asked again.

"Gabi, do you remember anything that happened last night?" Mom said.

"Yeah, I do." I said, looking over at my alarm clock.

"You broke that guys heart. Look, Gabriella. I don't know what the hell happened, and I don't know if you truly meant it but you need to get yourself together and reevaluate your decisions. Oh and get to school. You're going to be late." She said firmly. She hung up and I put the phone back on the hook.

I got up and got in the shower. I didn't care if I was late. I did not feel good at all. I took a long shower and got dressed. I walked out into the kitchen and Shane was making coffee. "Hey Gabi." He said, glancing at me. "You look like hell."

"Feel it too." I said sighing. "Did Troy leave already?"

Shane nodded. "Yeah, he left at five." I nodded my head and made myself some toast. "I finally asked Anna out."

"Don't do it. Somebody will just end up getting hurt. Love sucks." I shoved a piece of toast in my mouth and walked away.

I made it to school in time for my second class. I thankfully got distracted by school work and studying. I looked over my homework from last night and it surprisingly made sense. After I finished my last class I sat in my car for a minute before I had to drive back home.

I climbed in the backseat and found my phone on my floor. I had one missed call from my dad, five from Troy, two from my mom and another one from Troy. I looked through my text messages and they were nothing important. Anna wanted to hang out but I didn't feel like talking to anybody today. I decided to call Troy back first.

"Hello?" He answered.

"I just found my phone and saw you called." I said, sitting back in my seat. I crossed my feet on my seat.

"Oh yeah, I forgot I called and that you left your phone in your car." He said, clearing his throat. "Well I have to leave this weekend but I wanted to see if you wanted to come with me."

"I have to work all weekend and I'm helping Shane find a building for the gym. I'll be at your game tomorrow though." I said, biting my lip anxiously.

"Alright. I'll pick up dinner so I'll be home around 7:30." He said. "I hope we can talk before we go to bed."

"Yeah, we need to. I'll see you tonight." I said, letting out a deep breath. "I love you."

"I love you too, bye." He said shortly, hanging up the phone.

I rubbed my forehead and started my car. I had a feeling this talk wasn't going to end well. I drove home getting stuck in traffic again. Once I got home I started on the homework I had left. Shane came home but he sat in the front room watching some fight on TV.

Troy got home at eight and he brought home some food for the three of us. We ate dinner together watching the fight that Shane was watching. I couldn't help but feeling that's what our talk was going to end up like. I did not want to fight with Troy. I really didn't.

I suddenly didn't feel like eating anymore. I took my food and put it into the fridge. I walked into my room and took a seat on the bed. I closed my eyes and fell backwards, sighing. Troy walked into the room and he closed the door quietly behind him. He took a seat on the bed next to me.

"It took me a lot to not take what you said last night personally. I admit that I called my dad and I called your mom to talk it over. I get it, I do. Even though you did make peace with your dad, you were still hurt. You're never going to forget those feelings and I respect that you feel that way." I was looking at the bed sheets while he spoke. "I know the whole thing that happened with your dad brought back some unwanted feelings. You drank too much and said some things that hurt."

"I didn't mean to hurt you, Troy." I said, looking up at him.

He nodded his head. "I know you didn't. It wasn't really the fact that you wanted to take a break that hurt me. It was the fact that you think I need time to go mess around with other girls to realize how I truly feel about you." I looked down again. He scooted over to me and lifted my chin up to make me look at him. "I love you. If I wanted to see somebody else I would have the decency and respect to break it off with you before I go do it. I know you don't want to get hurt and I don't want to hurt you. That's who my mom raised me to be."

"Troy."

He put his fingers on my lips. "I love you so much. I really do. I've lived with you for the past two years and we've been together for almost three years. If you honestly want to know, I haven't even thought about, looked at, or talked about any other girl the way I do about you. The guys thought I was gay and was making you up until they saw you at the first home game. I don't know what I have to do to make you see that I love you. If you want to take break than that is fine with me because I'd do anything for you."

I leaned over to him and kissed his lips gently. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I can move my stuff into the spare room." He said, frowning as he looked at my lips.

"I didn't mean it, I don't want to take a break. I was being stupid and emotional and I'm sorry." I said, swallowing the lump in my throat.

He moved my hair out of my face. "We aren't your mom and your dad, we aren't your dad and phoebe, we aren't your mom and Cam. We are Troy and Gabriella. We aren't conventional. We do stupid things. We fight with each other like brother and sister. We have something that isn't perfect but I've never been happier."

He pulled me into his lap and I kissed his lips slowly. "I love you more than anything. I don't want to be with anybody else. I want to marry you and have your kids one day. I want us to be the family that I never had. I just wanted us to be different but we already are." I said, softly, rubbing his face slowly.

"Yeah!" We heard Shane yell from the living room. "Yeah baby." He suddenly burst in through the door. "I'm sorry to interrupt but I just talked to your friends dad, he wants to sponsor my gym. He's giving me enough money to get a loan. He's talking to all his rich friends and they might even want to sponsor me too! I'm getting that gym in the city."

I smiled at him. "Congratulations Shane."

"Way to go dude." Troy said to him, with a small smile.

"I'm going to go call Anna, I'm so fucking excited." He rushed back out the door, closing it behind him.

Troy and I looked at each other and laughed quietly. "When did he and Anna become a thing?" Troy asked, curiously.

"He asked her out yesterday, I think. He said something about her this morning but I was too hung over to remember." I said, leaning against him.

Troy leaned in and kissed my lips firmly. I pulled away from him, watching his lips. He kissed my lips slowly. He laid me down, climbing on top of me. I kissed down the side of his neck gently. He slipped his hands under my shirt, pulling it off. I lifted his shirt off and pulled his lips back to mine. I kissed his lips slowly.

He worked my jeans off my legs as he kissed along my belly button. He peeled my underwear off and climbed on top of me, kissing my lips firmly. He slid his own pants off, kicking them off his legs. He pulled his boxers off and I grabbed a condom.

Troy laid on top of me, rolling the condom on himself. I kissed his lips firmly. He eased into me slowly. I looked up at him as he rocked his hips against mine. He brushed his tongue against the roof of my mouth. I shut my eyes, massaging my tongue against his.

I wrapped my legs around his waist, tightening my legs around him as he buried himself deep within me. His mouth left mine when we were gasping for air. He tugged the cup of my bra down, taking my nipple in his mouth. My fingers ran through his hair. "You feel so good, so big." I whispered against the top of his ear, moaning quietly.

He grabbed the back of my thighs and pressed them into my chest. He pulled away from my chest, sucking lightly on my neck. "You're the only person that I want to make feel good." He whispered against my neck. "You're the only person I want to fuck, make love to, and make cum over and over and over again." He ran his tongue along the curve of my neck.

"Fuck Troy." I panted as he rubbed my clit slowly.

"I love the way you say my name." He grabbed my hips suddenly pounding into me. "Oh fuck."

"Troy, Troy, oh." I held onto the back of his neck, rocking my hips to meet his rhythm.

He grunted, slowing down again. He wasn't done yet though. He turned me around so I laid on my stomach. He unhooked my bra and I took it off, pressing my cheek into the pillow. He rubbed the tip of his dick against my clit. "Do you feel how hard you make me. Only you can make me throb like this." He husked, kissing down my spine slowly.

I felt his hands lift my hips up, his hands smoothed over the cheeks of my ass. He held one of my hips as he smacked his hand against my cheek firmly. I reached out, grabbing my pillow. He sank down into me, pushing his hips against my butt. This angle was just perfect. I pushed my face in my pillow as he kept plunging into me. When I heard him groan again, I squeezed my walls around him. He slowed himself down, milking every last drop. At his last groan, I came to my peak.

* * *

"This is a nice place Shane." I said, walking into the empty building with Shane and Anna. Troy left for basketball yesterday and I promised to go look with him. We walked around the building.

"I have so many ideas! I could make a basketball court somewhere, a boxing ring. Some work out equipment a dance room. I don't know what to put in first. I'm trying to get the other half of the building as well." Shane said, grinning.

Anna crinkled her nose. "Is this building even up to code? You need to check that first before you throw your whole check into buying things that will just be ruined in a big earth quake."

"Shit." Shane said. "I need to call Mr. Evans. I'll be right back."

I nodded and looked out the window. "Are you okay, Gabi?" Anna said.

"I smell the asbestos." I said, looking over at her. She made another face. "I'm fine Anna."

"Shane told me about your little melt down the other day." She walked over and stood next to me, looking out the window.

"I had too much wine." I said, licking my lips. "I got into a little fight with Troy, but everything is okay now."

"Is it?" She questioned.

I nodded my head giving her a small smile. "Yeah, there is always that little doubt. You know?"

She nodded. "Why the hell do you think I've been single for so long? I don't want to get hurt. Nobody does."

I sighed. "I know I should take it out on Troy for what my dad does. It just gets under my skin and I don't want to be the woman my mom had to be however long ago. I don't want to put everything I have into something just to get it ripped away."

"Gabi, again, nobody does. I don't know why people suck all the time. I know what it's like to get hurt. I know what it's like to like someone and they couldn't care less about you. I know you've been through a lot. You should take two steps forward and one step back." Anna said, hugging me. "Troy loves you. He will never hurt you. God forbid he does; Me, Shane, your mom, your dad, or your brothers will castrate him with our bare hands."

I laughed, leaning my head against her shoulder. "I just wish it wasn't in the back of my head." I watched the cars go by. "He's leaving, you know."

"Who?"

"Troy. He's going to Europe for his last year then joining the Peace Corps." I rubbed my lips.

"Why the hell would he do that?" Anna exasperated.

I smiled. "Because he's Troy. He wants to travel for himself and his mom. He wants to help people. He barely even wants to play basketball. He's pretty much doing it for the scholarship. He's going to become an English teacher, but he sucks at spelling." Anna laughed a little bit. "I don't know if I should let him go now so it will be easier when the time comes."

She sighed at me. "Oh, Gabs. This is worse than I thought."

"Mr. Evans is looking up the best building inspector in San Francisco. I'm just so ready to start this project. I know I have the two best ladies beside me for it all." He gave us both a hug. I gave him a soft smile and Anna leaned into him.

* * *

**I guess i'll be doing double posts this week to finish it by Friday. Sorry if this isn't as 'exciting' as it used to be. I HAD to finish it, i don't like leaving stories i post unfinished. I feel very bleh today so some good reviews would be nice. I still love all of you, unconditionally. Don't forget to review.**


	58. Enough

Turns out Shane's building was in perfect condition. Mr. Evans got his 'rich friends' to invest in his company as well. He bought out the whole building. He was first going to start with the gym up stairs. He needed all the equipment, weights, all the other usual things. He nominated me as head trainer and assistant manager of Shane's Gym.

He put his life savings into the gym. He never let me put money in because I had an Private school education to pay off. I just offered my services and he offered me a job. Anna was well into her second year of Law school. She had one more before she could take her exam and practice as a lawyer.

Troy was well , Troy. We celebrated his 21st birthday. I let him go out and have a good time with his basketball buddies because I had a paper due before break started. We did celebrate later on though. He has a starting position and he warned his coach that this would be his last year playing since he was going abroad. He was going to be home for winter break and summer break after we graduate.

For our three year anniversary, we took a small vacation to Florida. I'd never thought I'd go back there again. We avoided Miami and we had a great time at Universal Studios and Disney World. We got drunk and went all the rides basically. Miraculously, neither of us threw up.

Aaron's birthday was hard. Dad and Phoebe had their divorce finalized just weeks before Christmas. Aaron finally realized what was going on and was starting to act out the way I did when I was his age. I went to Phoebe's party she threw for him. I stayed with her and Aaron at her parents house. Aaron and I had a long talk that weekend about how he was feeling. I could relate and I tried to help the best way that I could. Phoebe called me a week later and told me about his better behavior. I felt like a proud big sister. I hadn't talked to my father since Christmas and I plan to keep it that way.

At the end of May, my school was out for the summer. I had one more year until I graduated. I had already applied for grad school. I had been busting my balls and pulling 4.0's out of my ass for the past three years. I was in the top five percent of my class and my counselor said I was a shoe-in for getting into the grad program, I would find out just before my last semester next year.

Troy's classes had finished as well. He maintained a 3.5. (Mostly due to me busting his balls.) He was already accepted into the study abroad program. He was going that for the fall semester and in the spring he'd finish his bachelors by computer while backpacking through the rest of Europe.

When I told people this, everybody thought he was crazy. Lord knows he is but I knew his father is very proud of him. I am his biggest fan and I couldn't be more proud. I knew if Lucy was here today, she would be proud of him too. His first and last college basketball season as a starter was a winning one. CAL went all the way to the finals only to get beaten by Kentucky in the final four. It was the best season the Bears had in a long time, Troy told me. His coach was very proud and very sad to see him leave.

Troy and I had gotten into Albuquerque late last night. It was the second week of June and my little brother was graduating from high school. CJ had gotten drafted into the minor leagues but he didn't take the offer and decided to play ball for Oregon State and get a college Education. I was proud of him for opting for college and I was happy he was nine hours away instead of fifteen.

Christopher had transferred to East High school to become an active part of the drama program run by Ms. Darbus. He liked East High better than West. Mom, Cam, and his mom went to every one of his shows. Cam and the boy's mom were co-parenting well. Mom was even starting to become friends with her husbands ex-wife. Which Cam told me freaked him out a little bit on one of our bi-weekly Skype chats.

We were staying at Troy's house for the night because Jack had picked us up from the airport. I had waken up to Troy kicking me in the shin on accident. It reminded me of high school, being in his room. I cuddled up against him. I rubbed his chest slowly, hopefully getting him to wake up soon.

"Troy." I sang out quietly, kissing his ear gently.

He groaned, unhappily. He wrapped his arms around me tighter. "No." He said under his breath.

"Wake up, Troy." I said, patting his face gently.

"No." He said a little louder.

"Fine, you can sleep and I'm just going to eat all the bacon your dad made for us." I said, wiggling out of his arms.

"Bacon?" He asked, sounding more awake.

"Yes, Bacon." I said, leaning down to kiss his lips.

"You taste better than bacon." He said, with a sleepy smile. He kissed my lips slowly again.

"I want some bacon." I wiggled out of his arms.

"No." He whined, pulling me back to him. "Stay with me."

I sighed. "Fine, you owe me bacon though."

"That's fine." He rested his face in the crook of my neck. "I love you."

"I love you too." I said, running my fingers through his hair. "Do you know where they're putting you yet?"

"Somewhere in England." He said, sighing. "I'm not exactly sure where."

I licked my lips. "That's a good transition place, since they speak English and all."

He chuckled quietly. "It would be harder to be pushed into like France or Germany where I don't really know the language."

"You'll learn quick though." I said, playing with his hair.

"Yeah or else I'll buy one of those language programs." He said, laughing still. "That will be interesting."

"You'll be fine. Are you excited?" I asked him.

He was quiet for a moment before he nodded his head. "Yeah. I'm ready to see the world."

I smiled. "Europe is hardly the world. I need you to be safe though. You better come back to me."

"You're making it seem like I'm going into the army." He said, glancing over at me.

I shrugged, my smile fading. "I've seen all three 'Hostel's and 'Taken'. I won't want you to get chopped up while getting seduced by some girl, okay?"

He shook his head at me. "You're crazy."

"Sometimes."

"More like all the time." He said, kissing my cheek.

"I don't have to lay here with you." I pushed my self off him but he pulled me back.

"Yes you do." He leaned over and kissed my lips. "We haven't had our morning make out session."

I rolled my eyes. "We never make out in the morning, unless one of us is horny. I'd rather have bacon." I teased him.

"That's rude." He pinned me down laying on top of me. I giggled and turned my head when he tried to kiss me. His hands slid down to my waist and he tickled me.

I wiggled and punched to get out of his grip. I hadn't pee'd this morning so that wasn't a good combination. I finally broke out of his grasp when I accidentally hit him in the balls. I rushed out to the bathroom and I heard him groaning all the way there. I could not stop laughing.

* * *

We headed over to my moms house after a much needed breakfast. Yes, I did get my bacon. His graduation ceremony was this evening and we were going to hang out with them for a little while before we had to leave. The boy's were at his moms house. Cam would get him a couple of days before we left.

We caught up with each other. I talked about Shane's Gym and how the progress was going already. He got the fitness center up and running. The 'classroom' would be a dance/yoga/Pilates room. They were building a floor for that room along with a sauna in the room next to it. That was going to be the top floor. The bottom floor was the basketball gym and boxing ring. It was going to be a really nice gym and hopefully it was going to make a lot of money.

I sat in next to Troy in the back seat of my moms car. We made it to the graduation a little early because we wanted to get good seats. We sat next to Chris and the boy's mom during the ceremony. Our family cheered him on as he walked across the stage. When it was over we met him down on the field. I was the first one to find him and give him a big hug just like he did at my graduation.

Everybody went out for dinner to celebrate CJ's graduation. Right after we ate he had to leave for his Grad-Nite celebration with his class. Troy went back to his dad's for the night and I stayed with my mom. Mom and I went out the next day. We did a little shopping and pampering, like we did usually when we had girl time.

Mom and I made it back home just a little before dinner time. We had a pretty big lunch and I wasn't really hungry. I walked over to Troy's dads and walked inside. "Hey." I called out.

I saw Troy sitting in the living room, watching TV. "Hey beautiful." He said, smiling up at me.

I took a seat next to him. "Look at my nails, aren't they pretty?" I asked him, showing him.

"They're beautiful." He leaned in and kissed my lips. "How was quality time with Mama?"

"Good, the usual. She spoils me." I said, leaning against him.

"That's because when you're a big hot shot doctor you're going to spoil her." Troy said, laughing.

I smiled, nodding. "Probably. How was your day?"

He grinned mischievously. "It was interesting."

"What did you do?" I asked curiously.

"You'll see tonight." He said, kissing my lips again quickly.

I shook my head at him. "Do I even want to know?"

He nodded, grinning. "You're going to love it."

I shrugged. "I'm trusting you."

"It's not bad. Do you want me to show you now?" He asked.

I smiled and nodded. "Yes, please."

"I'm going to need you to help me. Get up." He said.

I did as I was told and he took his shirt off. I saw a bandage on his back and I peeled it off slowly. I grinned when I saw the cross on his back. It was right along his spine so that must have hurt. LGB was under the left side and her date were on the right side.

"It's beautiful." I said, not really wanting to touch it, it was probably sore still. "Do you want me to rub some lotion on it?"

He nodded his head. "Please." He grabbed me a bottle of lotion and I spread it along his back slowly. I was right all those years ago. He looks incredibly sexy with a back tattoo. I smirked to myself and put the bandage back on. "Thanks babe."

"You're welcome." I put the bottle on the table and went to the sink to wash my hands.

* * *

Troy and I headed back home to California after a week in Albuquerque. Troy had to take some classes to get prepared for his trip and I was focused on helping Shane get the Gym up and running. The top floor was already done and they were starting on the bottom. The gym was making good money since everything was state of the art. We hired some really good dance/yoga/pilates instructors and that started to make some money as well.

My 22nd birthday was coming up and Troy's departure date was getting closer. I didn't want him to go but I knew it was what he wanted to do. I had to suck it up for him. He was leaving the week after my birthday to go get settled in. I wasn't exactly sure what we were going to do for my birthday but I'm sure Troy had something up his sleeve. He always does.

"Happy birthday!" Troy whispered in my ear. I turned my face to face him, pulling the sheets around my naked body. "Come on birthday girl, you have to wake up." He said, leaving a trail of kisses down my back.

"Stop, I'm tired." I grumbled, pulling the sheets over my head.

"We have a big day ahead of us." He said, wrapping his arms around me. "First you have to get up."

"I don't want to." I mumbled, putting my head under my pillow. I was slightly hung over and sore from the night before.

"Gabriella Montez. You better get up before I pull you out of this bed." He warned me.

"Shh, I'm sleeping." I rested my body against my bed.

"Fine, you asked for it." He threw the covers off me and carried me bridal style into the bathroom. He shut the door behind us and turned on the shower.

"My bed." I whined, walking back towards the door when he put me down.

"No, Gabi." He pulled me back and we stepped in the shower together. He stood me under the water and I kept my eyes closed as the water ran down my body. "Don't you feel better now?" He asked me.

"No." I said, shaking my head. I opened my sore eyes and let my hair soak up the water. We switched places and I washed my hair. "What are we even going to do today?"

"Me, You, Shane, Anna, Pearlman, and Kyle are going to the beach." Troy said washing his body.

"That sounds fun." I said, scrubbing my head. I switched spots with him again, rinsing my hair out. "Santa Cruz?"

He nodded his head. "It's supposed to be a really nice day."

"I'm excited." I started washing my body.

"Aren't you glad you got out of bed now?" He asked, grinning.

"Nope." I put conditioner in my hair and he leaned in to kiss me. I kissed his lips and he got out of the shower.

"Which bathing suit do you want?" He asked, wrapping a towel around his waist.

"The black one." I told him, washing out my hair. I washed my face before I got out of the shower. I wrapped myself in my towel and put my hair up. I walked out of the bathroom and Troy handed me my bikini. He had boxers on and he was looking through one of his drawers for something.

"Do you know where my trunks are?" He asked.

"You might have packed them already." I suggested, tying my bikini top on my chest, fixing my boobs. I slid the bottoms on and walked in the closet. I pulled on a shirt and some shorts.

Troy was grumbling to himself, pulling out his trunks from his suitcase. He pulled them on and grabbed a CAL shirt from the closet. "Ready?"

"I'm hungry." I said, licking my lips.

"We can get some food."

"I have to brush my hair." I said, walking into the bathroom again, letting my hair down. I brushed through it, braiding it back.

"Shane bought you donuts." Troy said, walking in the room.

"That is a sentence I never thought I'd hear." I said, laughing a little bit. I put some concealer under my eyes. I rubbed it in a little bit and I walked out of the bathroom. "Where are the donuts?"

"Kitchen." Troy said, he was already eating one.

I laughed and walked in the kitchen. There was a box of donuts on the counter. "Thanks Shane." I called out. I picked one up, taking a big bite.

"You're welcome." He called back from somewhere in the house.

After I ate two donuts Anna showed up then the boys ate the rest. We were leaving for Santa Cruz in Shane's SUV. Troy and I sat in the back, the boys in the middle and Anna and Shane in the front. It took us almost an hour to get there due to a little traffic on the 17. We parked and each got wristbands to ride the rides at the boardwalk. We rode all the roller coasters together. The boys wanted to go on again so Anna and I found a good spot on the beach and started tanning.

The boys found us and we took a dip in the water to cool off. We grabbed something to eat and we went on some more rides. By the time we were done it was starting to get dark. We got back in the car and headed home. I was laying against Troy and closed my eyes. I was exhausted from laying in the sun, but it was a good birthday.

I fell asleep on the way home and when Troy woke me up we were already there. We got out of the car. I headed straight for bed. I didn't feel like eating dinner. I laid down and covered myself up with my blankets. I looked at Troy's luggage in the corner. I better get used to sleeping alone.

"Hey birthday girl. All partied out?" He asked me.

"Yeah." I smiled sadly. I kept my eyes focused on the luggage.

"I know that look. What's on your mind?" He asked, sitting in the bed with me.

"Will be always be friends?" I asked him, turning around to face him.

He furrowed his eyebrows at me. "Of course."

"You will always talk to me like we always talk to each other?" I asked him.

Troy nodded, frowning now. "Why are you asking these questions?"

"Maybe it will be easier to say goodbye if we weren't together." I said, licking my lips.

He shut his eyes. "We're not saying goodbye. I'll be back for Christmas and for the summer."

"You'll be gone for two years after that! I don't know if I'm strong enough for a long distance relationship, especially for three years." I said, taking a deep breath. "I'm not strong enough for that."

"Gabi," Troy frowned at me. "I love you. I don't want to break up."

"I don't want to break up either but that's easiest for the both of us. You're going to be in Europe and I'm going to be here. I love you but I can't." I bit my lip to keep it from quivering. I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Right now, I want you not to hate me and to hold me because letting you travel across the ocean is the hardest thing I'll ever have to do."

He laid down next to me and wrapped his arms around me tightly. He put his face in my neck. I wiped the tears that were slowly falling down my cheek and held onto his hands that were on me. I really didn't want him to go. If I begged him not to then he would hate me forever. I'd rather have him hate me for a little bit now than to have him hate me forever.

I felt him place gentle kisses along my neck gently. I took a deep, shaky breath and calmed down. I turned around and buried my face in his chest. My pressed up against the area where I could hear his heart thumping loudly. I don't know what else I could do.

* * *

Don't forget to review.


	59. Farewell

**Yes Triple post... this is actually happening RN. big news at the end. Please read the AN at the bottom.**

* * *

Troy was leaving today and I was heart broken. I was taking him to the airport. He had loaded his stuff into the car. He was saying bye to Shane and Anna. I was sitting in the car, waiting for him. I just had to hold it together until I got home. My fingers tapped against the steering wheel while I waited.

Troy and I were okay since I broke up with him on my birthday. I thought it was for the best but he was still pretty hurt. He slept in the same bed as me since it was only five days before he left. We hadn't kissed since my birthday. We were trying to be normal friends but I doubted we'd ever be. All we could do was try.

He came out and checked everything in the trunk before slamming the trunk closed. He climbed in the passengers seat and I started the car. He clicked his seatbelt on and I backed out of the driveway. I turned up the radio to fill the silence. Once I got on the freeway he turned it down.

"Are we going to talk about this?" He asked me.

"Talk about what?" I asked back, trying to focus on driving.

"Us." He said, watching me. "I can't leave if we're on bad terms."

"We're not. We're just friends. You're going to focus on school and travel through Europe. I'm going to be here, helping out at the gym and focusing on school as well. We don't need each other to survive. It's going to be hard but in a couple of months you'll be fine and I'll be fine. That's just the way things work out." I said licking my lips. "I still love you just like you love me. I'll always love you Troy."

"You're making this so much harder than it has to be Gabi." He said, frowning.

"Nothing about this is easy Troy. Do you think it would be easier leaving your girlfriend for three years or leaving a friend?" I asked him. "I'm trying to make it easier."

Troy sighed, rubbing his fingers against his forehead. "I'll come right back to you, Gabi. It's not like I'm going to be gone forever."

"Don't make promises you can't keep. You don't have to worry about me while you're over there and I won't worry about what you're doing."

"I can't not worry about you."

"I don't know if I can either but that's the way I want it to be." I said taking a deep breath. "I don't want to be an _obligation_ to you. I don't want you to _HAVE_ to call me. I want you to have a good time while you're over there because I love you and you deserve it. That's all I'm going to say about that."

He looked out the window, pressing his forehead against it. I turned up the radio again and drove along the freeway to San Francisco International Airport. I found the terminal he was leaving from and I parked in the parking garage. Troy got out quickly, shutting the door behind him.

I sighed and got out myself. I closed the door behind me. I opened up the trunk for Troy and he pulled his large suitcases out. I closed the trunk behind him and took one of his bags for him. I walked behind him to the elevator. We didn't talk as we rode it down to check in. I handed him the bag and he talked to the lady behind the counter. I stood beside him, waiting.

He had his ticket and his passport in his hand as we walked away. He had an hour before he had to get to the gate. It would take him about a half hour to get through security and he wanted to be early so I only had 10 minutes with him. I bit my lip, I didn't know what to say.

"I'm not very good with goodbyes. I tend to just walk away without one but I can't do that with you." I said, turning to look at him. "We've been through a lot and I know this isn't how it's supposed to end. It's just temporary."

"Is it? What if you find somebody else? What if you fall in love and want to be with them, hm?" He asked, his eyes a dark blue. "Then what Gabi?"

"That's not going to happen." I said quietly.

"You don't know that. You don't know what is going to happen." He shut his eyes, trying to get himself to relax. "If you do find somebody else, I'll just have to accept it. You're one of my best friends and I can't cut you off full turkey."

"I don't want you to." I whispered to him. I tried to blink away the tears.

"It kills me to admit that you're right. Whether we like it or not, we need this." He said, reaching down to grab my hands.

"I want you to call me when you land. Call me whenever you need to talk to me. I don't care what time, I'll always pick up." I said, confidently, swallowing the lump.

"I will too, don't forget that okay? Don't get too stressed out with classes, take a break every once in a while." He said.

I nodded my head. "Don't take drinks you didn't see them make. Don't die, please."

He smiled sadly and shook his head. "I love you Gab." He wrapped his arms around me.

"I love you too." I whispered, resting my head against his chest. I squeezed him as tightly as I could before I released him. "Be safe, okay? Take lots of pictures and buy me a lot of stuff."

Troy chuckled. "Alright, I will. I'll see you in December."

I nodded, smiling sadly. He gave me one last tight squeeze and he started to walk away. I counted his footsteps and he stopped ten steps away from me. He turned back around and walked back over to me. "What did you for-"

He cut me off with his lips, firmly pressed against mine. My eyes shut automatically and he pulled my body against his. He kissed my lips slowly, savoring each one. He pulled away and ran his thumb against my bottom lip. His eyes were a little lighter and sadder before he closed them kissing me one last time.

I held my breath as he walked away again, this time not turning back around. I stood there watching him go through security. He glanced back at me and gave me a small smile before he walked on. I let out the breath I was holding. I stood there frozen for another minute before somebody bumped into me, apologizing.

The bump just knocked me back into reality. I slowly made my way back to my car. The air felt heavy as slid into the vehicle. It felt hard to breathe; With the first gasp for air, I realized I was crying. Not even a reminder of why we both did the things we did calmed me down. I pulled out of the parking garage and over to a waiting area where i had to pull over because the tears were too much. I pulled the sun roof cover back as I opened it, looking up at the sky.

It took two flights to go over my head to realize the next one would be the airplane that Troy was on. I prayed he would return safely. My eyes followed the plane until I couldn't see it anymore. I decided to get my shit together just long enough for the ride home.

* * *

It's been a week since Troy left, I felt so lost without him. He called me when he landed and he calls me at least once a day. I've been trying to get prepared for my new semester but I've been so distracted lately. I just space out for minutes, even hours sometimes.

_"Gabi!… Gabs."_

Troy said he's been finding everything pretty easily. He lives in a dorm at some University in London. His roommate is actually from Italy. From what Troy tells me he's a short scrawny guy with dark brown hair and his name is Giovanni. Troy says Gio is obsessed with his American 'accent.' I found that quite funny.

"Gabs! A little help!"

I snapped out of it and saw Miranda, one of my clients with a bar pinned to her chest. "I'm so sorry Ran." I lifted it up and set it on the holder. "How many did you get?"

"twenty." she said, breathlessly.

I gave her a soft smile. "Great job ran! Let's go some cardio next."

"We just did cardio, time's up." She said, looking at her watch.

I frowned. "I'm so sorry, I've been so out of it for the week. I'll see you next week okay?"

"Alright." She said, wiping her face with her sweat towel. "See you Gabi."

I sighed to myself and ran my fingers though my pony tail. I ran down the stairs to the recently finished boxing gym. The grand opening was in a couple of weeks but I spent some time down here when I didn't have clients and didn't want to go home.

I opened a box of wraps and pulled one out, closing the box again. I wrapped up my hands tightly. I stretched out my arms and my legs before I walked over to a bag. I took a deep breath before I threw the first punch. I landed weakly against the heavy bag. I worked on some of my old combinations before I started wailing on the thing.

My hands felt sore once I stopped and I leaned against the bag. Not even boxing filled the void that Troy took when he left. I wiped the tears that mixed with sweat off my face. I had to be strong. He's only been gone a week. He was going to be gone for years. At this rate when he came back I would be addicted to something and he wouldn't want me then.

I walked up and laid in the middle of the ring. "Gabi?" I heard Shane call out. "Are you down here?"

"Yeah." I called out, looking up at the black roof.

"Why are you down here?" He asked, I heard him coming down the stairs.

"I don't know Shane." I said sighing.

Shane hopped over the ropes and took a seat next to me. "You need to get up." He said, holding his hands out. I sighed and let him help me up. "You need to go home."

"No I don't." I said firmly. "I'm perfectly content with working out."

He shook his head and looked at me. "Go home, do some homework. Take a nap, just get out of here."

"What kind of assistant manager would I be if I did that?" I asked, smirking.

"You're fired, now get out."

"Shane!" I whined.

"Okay, you're not fired but I'm going to call Anna and she's going to come drag you out by your hair." Shane said. "I'll do it, I swear."

"Fine, I'll leave." I said, climbing over the ropes, up the stairs. I walked over to the offices and grabbed my things.

Shane walked with me to my car. "I'm doing this because I love you." He said, closing the door.

I rolled my eyes and buckled my seatbelt. I drove off, heading towards the bridge. I got home a half hour later and parked in the drive way. I sighed to my self and got out of the car. I avoided staying in my house as long as possible. It always made me think of Troy. It made me miss him, a lot.

I walked inside and took a seat at my desk. I had finished my homework but I was in the middle of writing an extra credit paper so I thought I'd do that. I powered up my laptop and my phone started ringing. I answered it. "Hello." I said quietly.

"Hey beautiful." Troy breathed out into the phone.

I leaned back into the chair and smiled to myself. "I miss you."

"It's been a week." He said chuckling. "What are you doing?"

"Shane kicked me out of the gym because I've spent too much time there apparently. I just got home, I'm working on an extra credit paper." I explained. "What about you?"

"Getting ready for bed." He said. "It's pretty lonely without you."

"You too. Why do you think I spend so much time at the gym?" I asked, hugging my legs.

"You're getting ripped? By the time I come home you could probably bench press me." He said chuckling.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Maybe. How do you like it over there?"

"I'm getting used to it. I'm getting the annoyed tourist glares. Gio and I got completely lost in the city the other day. Everything is so different." He said. "I'm starting to like it."

I smiled sadly. "I'm glad you are."

He yawned. "It sounds like you had a rough day."

"I'm fine."

"Gabs…" He said in a warning tone.

"I've been a little distracted lately and that's about it." I said, clearing my throat. "My mind keeps wandering off."

"I know what you mean. It's hard to concentrate in class." He told me.

I frowned. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine. It's the first week of class." He said shrugging. "How are your classes going?"

"They're more difficult but I need a good challenge to take my focus away from the distance." I said quietly. "Thank you for calling." I said, quietly.

"I was really missing you today." He admitted. "I needed to hear your voice."

"We should have a skype date soon." I offered. "Whenever you have free time."

"That sounds awesome."

I smiled to myself. "I can't wait to see your pretty boy face."

Troy chuckled at me. "I can't wait to see your beautiful face either." He yawned again.

"I'm going to let you go to sleep. You sound exhausted."

"Yeah, I have an early class tomorrow." He said. "Call me when you go to bed, I'll probably be up by then."

"Alright, I will. I love you Troy." I said quietly.

"I love you too Gab. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." I whispered, hanging up the phone.

* * *

As the months went by, I thought it would get easier. It hadn't. I went to school, did my homework, went to work. I even took on two more clients to try to distract me. It didn't work well. I tried to sleep in the spare bed but I always ended up in one of Troy's shirts, cuddling against his pillow. He still called everyday but our conversations were brief because he was either going to school or going to sleep. At least he called.

Now that the gym was up and running Shane was looking for a place in the city, closer to work. Anna hung around a lot while Shane was at work. It was nice to have a girl to talk to. Sharpay was interning at a designers office the last time I spoke to her. She was really busy with her life in New York but it was nice to catch up every once in a while.

Troy couldn't come home for Thanksgiving, but he promised to be home in December since everybody was coming here. He couldn't come for his birthday but he'd be here a couple of days after. Mom, Cam, and Jack just got here, the boys were with their mom.

I let mom and Cam have my room so Jack had the spare. I was trying to fall asleep on the couch. I got up and looked at the time. It was almost two in the morning. I grabbed the air mattress and started blowing it up, hoping I wouldn't wake anybody up. Once it was full, I closed the cap, putting a sheet over it. I put my pillow and Troy's pillow on it. I dropped the blanket on it and walking into the kitchen. I grabbed a cup of water and took a drink.

I heard the front door open and I turned off the light and hid in the kitchen. The door closed soon after and my chest started pounding. Somebody was in my house. They were going to kill everybody. Oh god, please don't let everybody die. I tried to make myself as small as possible in the corner of the kitchen. I covered my mouth, trying to quiet my breathing as footsteps came closer.

Whoever was in my house turned on the kitchen lights. "Gabi? What the hell are you doing?"

I shot up and saw Troy standing at the edge of the kitchen with his luggage in hand. "I thought you were an intruder. I thought you were going to kill us." I said, trying to calm my wild heart beat.

"And you thought hiding in the corner was going to save you?" He asked, smirking.

He looked tired. I got up and threw my arms around him. "I thought you weren't coming until Friday." I asked, burying my face in his neck.

"I know but I missed you too much to be away any longer." He said, stroking my hair slowly.

"I would cry but I'm way too tired." I said softly. "Your dad is going to be so happy."

He smiled at me as he pulled away. "Let's get you to bed, alright?" He picked up my water, taking a drink of it before he pulled the rest down the drain. "Come on." He said, holding my hand and his luggage.

"We can't go in there." I said. "Mom and Cam are in my room. I'm sleeping in the backroom."

"Alright." He said, quietly, following me into the back room. I turned off the kitchen light and turned on the back room light. "Is that what you've been wearing to bed when I was gone?" He asked, putting his fingers on my, well his, shirt that I was wearing. I didn't wear any bottoms. I nodded my head. He let out a low groan.

"I'll turn off the lights and let you get ready for bed." I said, turning off the light. I climbed onto the air mattress, spreading out the blankets. He shuffled around and crawled on the air mattress with me. He positioned his pillow under his head. He slid his warm hands across my flat stomach, under my shirt. My eyes popped open when I felt his erection pressing against my butt.

"Sorry." He said, moving his lower body away from mine.

I turned around in his arms and pulled him back toward me. "Don't be." I said quietly. I ran my hands up and down his chest slowly. I leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his bottom lip. I pulled away and looked up at him. He stared back at me and kissed my lips firmly. I poked my tongue against his, grabbing the back of his head.

He moaned against my lips and pulled away from me. "I can't, we shouldn't." He mumbled against my lips.

I let out a breath. "You're right we shouldn't." I pulled away from him and accidentally brushed my hand against his length. "Sorry." I put my hand back on his chest and rested my head against his arm.

He drew circles around my belly button absentmindedly. I don't know if it was him or the light touches but I was incredibly turned on. I tried to shut my eyes and focus on something else. He pressed a kiss against the side of my head. He stopped with the circles and shifted himself in his boxers.

My hand slid down his chest slowly, stopping just above his bellybutton. His lips pressed against the shell of my ear. He kissed the same spot again and I turned to face him. I leaned in and kissed his lips firmly. My hands slipped into his boxers and I stroked him slowly.

"Gabi… I-" He started.

I cut him off. "Shh, it's okay." I whispered, kissing his lips fully again. "It's okay." I repeated against his lips.

* * *

**So I had some Good (And Bad news) What one do you want first? **

**Good? Okay. Good news is i FINALLY got an Externship, so HOPEFULLY i'll still graduate on time.**

**The bad news is i start wendnesday and it's like a real job so i'll be 'working' full time. So Sadly, i won't be able to finish this story until this weekend. Maybe i'll start my new story on sunday? Everything is up in the air and getting a little craycray right now, so guys barewith me and i'll do what i can.**

**Oh and Thankyou for the reviews. Spoiler alert- they get back together so calm down with the 'put them back together' reviews.**

**Wow, that was sassy. My bad. lol. Idk whats gotten into me today. I guess i'm starting to feel like an Adult now. It's weird. **

**I still love you guys. Don't forget to review!**


	60. Decisions

That week went by too quick for my liking. Everybody left and I was home with just Shane. I offered Anna to move in but they said it was too early. They were just scared they'd get annoyed of each other too quickly. I was telling them that they were fine and they should find a place together.

We were in our last month of school. Anna had an externship at a law firm and she had to study for her BAR exam so she wasn't around much anymore. I was just getting prepared to graduate and go on to grad school. Troy was almost home for graduation and the summer. I was ready to have him back home.

I was training three people at the gym which was a little more than 25 hours a week. I got paid my own rate though. These crazy San Francisco people will pay big bucks for a good trainer and I like to think of myself as a good trainer. I was also graduating magma cum laude with my 3.9 GPA. I was one of the highest ranked students in my class. No matter how busy I was Troy was always in the back of my head.

Anna passed her Bar exam and we graduated on the same day. Troy had come home the night before and I was more than happy that he was there. He graduated a couple days later in Berkeley. We spent the rest of the summer forgetting we were still broken up.

Summer went by too quickly and Troy was shipped off to Chile. He had a crash course in learning the country's language before he actually started teaching the kids. He was in a program that allowed him to do school and community work at the same time. He didn't have much time to call.

Shane's Gym was busier than ever. My clients didn't really need me anymore so I started training young girls to box. I was mostly helping Shane out since he'd go travel around the state with them to compete. Anna was working at a Law firm in Redwood City, she was starting to make the money to pay off her college loans.

I got another part time job working at the school. I just did some administrative work for one of my old professors. I did anything to keep me busy. Before I actually knew it summer rolled around again. Troy didn't come home for the holidays or summer. He was out being a humanitarian and saving the world.

He got shipped over to Africa to begin his second year. He didn't just want to stay in one place. I missed him a lot. We only skype once a month since he's been over seas. They didn't have much out there but he loved what he did.

For holidays since I was alone, I'd go to Albuquerque. I'd check up on Jack to make sure he was doing well. I'd bake him a shit load of cookies. Mom and Cam helped him out too because they were all really good friends. CJ was loving college, he played some really good baseball and a lot of minor league teams wanted him. Chris was still doing theatre. I got to see one of his shows when I went down last. I never realized how talented he actually was.

When I worked at school I'd always be paired up with Harris. He was in the microbiology program, he was in his second year. He was really nice but he was quiet. He was a man of little words. I'd always talk to him though. I told him about Troy and where he was and what he was doing. I told him about the gym and about boxing. He was a pretty good listener and that's just what I needed sometimes.

These last classes I was taking were pretty difficult. I had to spend less time at the gym and more time studying. That's what I was doing today. I had mid terms next week and I was studying my little ass off. Since this was technically my last semester, I had to put my applications in for Medical school.

I put my application in for four schools: Harvard, Stanford, John Hopkins, and San Francisco. They were the best medical schools in the US and I was determined to get into all of them. I wanted choices; then again I could have went anywhere for my masters program I stayed in California. I didn't feel the need to do that now. I until two weeks before my birthday to commit somewhere. I didn't get any letters yet but I was waiting for them.

I heard the skype application ringing on my sleeping computer. I was sitting at my desk but I was going highlighter crazy in one of my medical text books. I looked up and moved my mouse. My mom and Cam got me a new laptop last Christmas because mine was dying. I was in love with my new one.

Troy was calling me. I clicked on the video answer button and fixed my hair before my face showed up on his screen. His screen popped up and he was talking to somebody off camera in a different language. I watched him. He looked more manly than usual. He had a mustache and a short beard.

"Hello." I said, getting his attention.

He looked down at me and he grinned. "Hey beautiful."

"Hey, what are you up to?" I asked him, flipping to the next page of my book.

"Just got finished with my rounds today. I'm getting some coffee before I go to bed." He said, looking down at me.

I smirked. "That's smart."

He chuckled. "It's Decaf. What are you doing?"

"Studying. I have mid terms next week." I said, watching him. "That's why I look a mess."

He rolled his eyes. "You look beautiful. How's everything going?"

"Good." I said sighing. "I've been working with Shane's kids. Teaching them boxing techniques. I got a new job at my school, did I tell you about that?"

He shook his head. "No, we only got to talk five minutes last time."

I nodded, "Right. Well it's just admin work, filing and answering phones. I work with this kid named Harris. Poor guy has to listen to me talk for 15 hours a week."

"I can't imagine you sitting behind a desk." Troy said, chuckling.

"It's hard to sit still." I said, smiling. "How's everything over there?"

He grinned. "Good. The kids that I teach are so awesome. You'd love them. They ask me about you all the time. I told them if they all learn how to read and write effectively than I would let them talk to you via skype."

I smiled at him. "I'd love that. I wanna see all your kids. I'm glad you're having a good time still. I'd be really homesick by now."

"Yeah," He said, "They said if I enroll again, they're sending me to the Philippines."

My smile faltered, but I quickly picked it up again. Even though my heart practically dropped out of my butt, I had to be okay with this. I swallowed the small lump that formed. "Oh." is all I could say.

"Yeah, did you put your applications in yet?"

"For school? Yeah, I sent four out. I'm still waiting to hear back from them." I told him.

"I'm crossing my fingers for you over here. You gotta call me when you find out."

I nodded my head. "I definitely will. Have you talked to your dad recently?"

"Nah, not since I talked to you last."

I frowned. "Why not?"

"It's been pretty busy over here. I hadn't been able to get out to the city until now." He said, scratching his chin.

"You should have called him first." I said, still frowning.

"How come?"

I pushed my hair back, sighing. "Because he's your dad! He made you, he worries about you. He wants to know you're safe and you're alright. Sometimes we think the worst if we don't hear from you in a long time. It's hard Troy." I blinked the tears that were starting to build up in my eyes.

Troy sighed, wiping his hand down his face. "You don't think it's hard for me?" He asked. "Fine, maybe I'll go call him now."

"Go, call him then. Goodbye." I said, stabbing at the keyboard, ending the call. "Asshole." I grumbled under my breath and turned back to my book.

* * *

I finished semester and graduated, again. I had gotten my four letters in the mail the day before I flew out to Albuquerque. Mom and Cam couldn't make it to graduation because they have work. I was going to take a month off from the gym to spend time with my family. Since Shane was my boss, I could do it with no problem.

Christopher was graduating from high school this year. CJ was almost finished with his bachelors and I felt really old. I was turning 24 this summer. My little brothers were all grown up. Aaron was almost a teenager. He was already ten years old. He was growing up so fast, next thing I know he is going to be graduating high school.

After I got my last letter in the mail I finished packing. I zipped my letters in my suitcase so I didn't have the urge to open them. I packed them in my car and walked back inside. Anna was sitting on the couch, she'd the only friend that stuck around since I met her. She was here most of the time for Shane but I'll take what I can get.

Pearlman and Kyle moved back home after they graduated. I even missed them sometimes. They were good at distracting me. It was nice having someone, even if they didn't live here, around the house all the time. They both still call to say hi sometimes. They ask how Troy's doing and we have a short conversation. It's nice to keep in touch.

I sat down next to Anna. "How's work going?"

"Good, You know, shane and I were talking and were going to move out this summer. We're going to get a place of our own." She said, looking over at me.

I smiled at her. "It's about damn time! Are you guys talking about tying the knot?"

She smiled at me. "It would be nice but no we hadn't talked about it yet."

"I bet it's coming soon." I said, nudging her. "Are you thinking about finding a place in the city?"

She nodded. "Yeah, it'll be closer to work for the both of us."

"Well call me and tell me about the houses you looked at, and send pictures if you pick one." I said, looking at her.

She nodded. "I will, I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too. You can call me though. Seriously, call me." I said, getting up. "I'm going to go to bed. I love you, I'll say bye before I leave tomorrow."

"Alright, goodnight." She said, grinning up at me.

I walked in my room and sighed. I fell asleep quickly and got up early. I ate something small for breakfast. I said bye to Shane and Anna before I left. I drove to the airport and dragged my suitcases over to the check in. I went through security and boarded my plane. I texted my mom to let her know we were about to take off. About an hour and half later we landed in Albuquerque.

I walked off the plane with my purse and met Mom at the baggage claim. I grabbed my bags and walked over to her car. We chatted for a little bit on the way home. We didn't do much the first days I was there. I spent some time with Jack and my mom.

Mom said she ran into Mr. Evans and he said Sharpay was going to be in town. I went and visited her. She was still single and still fabulous. She was working at a magazine and doing well for herself in New York. Ryan was choreographing a show on Broadway. Zeke had moved back to the states but he was in Chicago.

Christopher had graduated from school and he was spending the last summer in Albuquerque between his mom and his dad. He was going to New York to pursue his dream of acting on Broadway. I couldn't be more prouder of my brothers.

* * *

I'd been in Albuquerque for two weeks now. Cam and Mom were at work so I was on my own for today. Thankfully Cam left me his car and had my mom drop him off. I'd just have to pick him up later. I drove over to the flower shop to get more flowers for Lucille. I was feeling pretty lonely today.

I talked to the wind for a little bit and went out to eat by my self. I left to pick up Cam and I went back into my room to take a nap because there was nothing better to do. I laid down on my bed and sighed to myself. It was a long day.

I heard a door open then close. I didn't open my eyes. It was probably Cam just looking for something. They kept some things in my closet. I heard somebody sigh then sit on my bed next to me. They stroked my hair away from my face. "God I missed you." They said quietly.

I opened my eyes automatically. "I missed you too." I said, looking up at him.

He jumped. "I didn't know you were awake." He said and I scooted over.

"You didn't ask." I said and he laid down next to me. "Did you climb the balcony?"

"Yeah." He nodded his head. "I thought I would surprise you."

"You look like an old man." I said, touching his beard.

"Well I got off the airplane went home and came straight here after dropping off my bags." He said, resting his head on my pillow.

"You haven't called me in a long time." I said quietly.

"I thought you were still mad at me." He said, frowning.

"I can't stay mad at you for long."

He licked his lips. "I'm sorry. I'll get haircut and shave later."

"You can keep the mustache though." I said, trailing my finger across it.

He smiled at me. "Are you going to give me some lovin' or what?"

"Or what."

Troy buried his face in my neck and I burst out in giggles. His facial hair was tickling me. He placed soft kisses against my neck. His arms slid around my waist and I leaned into him, closing my eyes. "Why are you laying in bed at three o clock on a Friday?" He asked me, moving his face away from my neck.

"I had nothing to do. I saw your mom earlier and left her some flowers. I picked up dad and now I'm here." I moved my hair away from him, It fell over the side of my body.

"Your hair is so long." He said touching the ends of it.

"I need a trim. Maybe I'll go with you to get a hair cut." I said, looking up at him. I sniffed. "So, when are you leaving?"

He crinkled his eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"

"When are you leaving for the Philippines?" I asked, looking up at him.

"I'm not going to the Philippines." He said, confused. "Who told you I was going there?"

"The last time we talked you said that if you go back in you're going to go to the Philippines." I said. "I thought you asked and they told you like you wanted to go again."

Troy shook his head. "One of my leaders was saying something about how they needed help there. I never said I was actually going to go."

"Oh, I just thought…" I trailed off.

"Do- do you want me to go?" He asked, sounding hurt.

"I want you to do whatever makes you happy. If that means leaving for another two years than so be it." I said, clearing my throat.

"Do you know why I stayed for the summer and the holidays last year?" He asked me. I shrugged. "I initially had to stay for 27 months. That is two years and three months. I wouldn't be home until November. I stayed during the holidays and the summer because I wanted to come home quicker. I loved what I did over there but I'm ready to start my life here."

I took a breath of relief. I wrapped him in a tight hug. "Thank god. I didn't want you to go." I admitted quietly.

"Did you open your letters yet?" Troy asked me.

"I completely forgot about them. I'll open them tonight when everybody is here." I said, sitting up on my bed. "Come on, you're getting a hair cut because your beard is really bothering me." Troy chuckled and shook his head.

* * *

Mom came home from work early. She and Cam were happy to see Troy home early. She decided to make something for all seven of us. Even though the boys were at their moms. Cam called the boys and wanted to know if they wanted to come home for dinner because Troy was back. They were more than happy to come.

I helped my mom cook while Troy took a short nap upstairs. His dad wasn't home yet. He was going to surprise him. I woke Troy up an hour later so he can go surprise his dad. I stayed home and helped my mom set the table. Troy and I got our haircuts and he shaved his beard off. He still had the mustache and he finally looked like a grown man and damn he grew up well.

I grabbed the envelopes from my suitcase and I put them in the living room. I let Troy and Jack in. Jack was beaming. He was so glad to have his son home. CJ and Chris came a little after Jack and Troy got back. They started talking before we all got seated for dinner.

Mom made a shit load of pasta and I hadn't eaten anything all day. I was in food heaven. They were all talking to Troy so I took my time eating my pasta. Troy told him about both of his trips and the kids he was helping and the great people he met. I was burning to open the four envelopes in the living room.

"Gabi is going to open her envelopes tonight Dad." Troy said.

"Oh really?" Jack asked me.

I nodded my head, my mouth full of pasta. I chewed my food before swallowing. I took a sip of water before I spoke. "Yeah, it's either Harvard or John Hopkins in Baltimore, Stanford, or San Francisco."

"Two on the west coast and two on the east." Jack said, Nodding.

"Harvard isn't that far from New York." Chris said, grinning at me.

"You're only nine hours from me." CJ said. "You should stay there."

I took another drink. "I think Harvard would be a great opportunity for you, even if it's pretty far." Mom said, surprising me a little.

"So is Stanford and San Francisco." Cam said. "You've been there for six, what's another two or three, right?"

I looked at Jack. "JH basketball isn't that bad." He said with a shrug. I smiled at him, he knew I didn't give two shits about basketball.

We all turned to Troy. "What do you think, Troy?" CJ asked.

He looked up to see everybody staring at him. He shifted uncomfortably. "I'm done. Mom that was delicious, thanks." I said, getting up. I saved him from saying anything. I knew whatever was going to come out of his mouth, I wasn't going to like.

I walked into the kitchen, eating the remaining food off my plate before I put it in the sink. Everybody slowly came in after that. I walked into the living room and picked up the letters. I took a seat and arranged them in Alphabetical order. Harvard, Johns Hopkins, SF, Stanford.

"Are you ready?" Mom asked me. I nodded my head.

She had everybody come in the living room with me. I crossed my legs and took a deep breath. "I'm opening Harvard first." I turned the envelope around and slid my finger under the top. I pulled out the letter. I opened it slowly, reading it. "I got accepted into Harvard." I said breathlessly. I handed it off to my mom who reached over for it anxiously.

"What's next?" Cam asked me.

"JH." I said, opening the second envelope. "I got accepted there too." I said, folding it back and putting it in the envelope. "SF…" I trailed off. I opened the envelope and read it, I picked up the second letter in there. I raised my eyebrows. "I got full scholarship to San Francisco."

"When did you apply for a scholarship there?" Mom asked, reaching over for the envelope again.

"I just applied for it when I went to go visit them. I didn't think I'd get it." I said, holding the last envelope in my hands. I opened the last one and scanned over the letter. "I got into Stanford too."

"Looks like you have a decision to make." Dad said.

I looked up at all the faces in front of me. "Yeah, I do." I said, my eyes wandered over to Troy. He was looking down at his shoes. He looked up at me and gave me a soft smile. I gave him a small smile.

* * *

**I'm thinking double post today, since i have time. Maybe a triple post if i get alot of good feedback. Thank y'all for all the reviews from the triple post yesterday. Two more left. :/. It's so bitter sweet. I'm excited to start working and putting up my new stuff for y'all. I love you guys! Don't forget to review!**


	61. Together

The boys went back to their moms, Troy and Jack went back home and Mom and dad went to bed. I was sitting out back on the hammock with a beer in my hand. I really did have a big decisions to make. Do I go to Harvard or to Baltimore? Do I stay here and go to college for free, or to Stanford? Could I just pack up and leave? Do I really want to stay?

It was a lot to think about and all I wanted to do was drink. Mom didn't have much alcohol in her house. I barely found a beer in the back of the fridge in the garage. I drank it slowly, savoring it. I heard somebody come in through the side gate.

Troy walked over to the tree with a box in his hands. "What are you doing?" I asked.

He jumped, looking around the tree. "What are you doing down here?" He asked.

"Couldn't sleep. What do you have?" I asked, trying to get a look at the box.

He grinned. "We had the same idea." He showed me the 6 pack of beer and walked over to me. "Scoot over, I thought you might need one."

"or two." I said, polishing off my last beer. He took a seat next to me and I put it down the empty bottle. I took a new one out of the cardboard holder. "How were you going to climb up the tree with beer in your hand?"

He chuckled. "I didn't think it through." He grabbed a beer and set the others on the ground. We sat back and both took a drink at the same time. "I missed beer."

"They didn't have beer in Africa?" I asked, smirking.

"I'm sure they do, just not where I was." He took another long drink. We sat silently, drinking our beer. "Why couldn't you sleep?"

I shrugged. "I have a lot to think about."

"Yeah." He said, playing with my hair.

"What do you think I should do?" I asked to see what he would say.

Troy sighed, taking another drink of his beer. "I think you should do whatever you want to do. If you want to go to Harvard, than go. If you want to stay here then stay." I rolled my eyes, sighing. I took along swig of beer. "What?"

"Nothing."

"Gabi, What?"

"At least everybody else stated their opinions. They didn't give me the BS answer." I said, sipping my beer. I covered my mouth to burp.

"Now that you opened the letters, I think you should go to San Francisco. Not for me, but for you. You have six years to pay off, you have the opportunity to go without digging another 40 thousand dollar hole in your bank account." He said, chugging the rest of his beer.

"Was that so hard?" I asked him, setting my second empty bottle on the ground.

"So what are you going to do?" He asked me.

"I don't know but this beer is making me bloat." I said, resting my shoulder on his head.

He pressed a kiss to my forehead. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine. Are you going to stay here?" I asked him.

"In Albuquerque?" I nodded. "I don't think I'm going to. I'm going to try to find a teaching job when we get back to California."

"Why aren't you going to stay here with your dad?"

"I mean, I can stay here with my dad if you don't want me back at the house." He said, looking over at me.

I rolled my eyes. "Don't be dumb, it's your house too."

"I'll move my stuff into the spare room. It's not a big deal."

I sighed. "We should get some sleep."

He cleared his throat. "Yeah." He picked up his beer and the empties. "I'll throw these out on the way out."

"You can stay if you want." I said, looking over at him.

He smiled at me. "Maybe tomorrow." I got up and he leaned over, kissing my cheek. "Goodnight."

"Night." I said quietly. I smiled a little to myself as I watched him walk around the gate.

* * *

I got up the next morning and went down stairs for coffee. I had breakfast before I walked upstairs to go read. I didn't have anything planned to do today so I was just going to spend the day inside. I picked up my book from the night stand and laid on my bed.

"Get up and get dressed." Troy said, walking in my room.

"What?"

"Get up and get dressed. We're going on a date." He said, taking the book out of my hands.

"We're going on a date?" I asked him confused. I climbed off the bed.

"Yes, now get dressed. Something comfortable, tennis shoes. It's going to be hot." He said, walking out of the room, closing the door behind him.

I stared at the door for a minute. I was so confused. I shook it off and got dressed as I was told. I did my hair and grabbed my purse and walked down stairs. "I'm ready." I said to Troy who was waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

Troy smiled up at me. "Good, come on." He reached out for my hand.

I put my hand in his and he walked with me out the door. We got in his dads car and Troy started driving. He held on to my hand as he drove. I smiled to myself, looking out the window. I stroked his wrist slowly leaning my head against the side panel.

I didn't even care where we were going; I was just so happy he's back. "You know this is the part where you ask me where were going." Troy said, glancing over at me.

I looked up at him. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

I smacked his arm and he chuckled. "Mean."

"I couldn't resist." He said, squeezing my hand, before letting it go. He turned the radio up a little bit before he connected his hand to mine.

I closed my eyes just before the car stopped. "Are we here?" I asked Troy.

"Yeah, come on." He said, getting out of the car. I opened up my eyes and smiled as I saw where we were. I put my purse under the seat and got out of the car. I closed the door behind me and walked over to Troy. "Since the last time we did this didn't turn out very well, I thought we can do it over." He said, looking over at me.

I smiled at him. "I'd love that."

Troy and I walked into the ranch. He talked to the stable manager and we talked to him for a while. He walked us over to our horses and we got acquainted as we brushed them down. The manager helped us put the saddles on and get on. Troy went for a little walk first before I went on. We took a long ride up the mountains.

Once we got to the summit, I climbed off the horse and tied it up. I walked over to the edge and took a seat on the bench near it. It was a beautiful day. We could see everything from up here. I looked back and Troy was walking over to me.

"Thank you." I said, leaning against him once he sat down.

"You're welcome." He muttered, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Why horseback riding?" I asked him.

"I have a lot to make up for since I've been gone for three years. I felt like every time we talked we'd just get into a fight and I don't want it to be like that anymore."

"You don't really have to make up anything to me since we're technically not together." I reminded him.

He nodded. "I know, you broke up with me, I remember. But that's not the point. You're still my best friend. You and my dad are the only two people from home I talked to and I missed you like crazy. I want to spend sometime with you, making up for my absence. It doesn't matter if its friendly or romantic."

I leaned over and rested my head against his arm. "I'm sorry."

"me too." He said quietly. "Come on, we should get going back down. We some pizza waiting for us."

I smiled at him and we walked back to the horses. We rode our way down to the ranch. We brushed them again and put them back in their stables. I waited in the car while Troy finished up with the manager. He walked over and got back in the car.

He started driving again, stopping to get gas. Once he started driving again, I watched him. "Where are we going now?"

"To eat some pizza like I told you." He said, grinning at me.

"Are we going to our place?" I asked him.

"Yes ma'am." He reached over for my hand and held it in his. I played with his fingers on the trip over to the pizza place we were going to.

After a late lunch Troy we walked around the mall for a little bit. Then he taking me somewhere else but he wouldn't tell me where we were going this time. All he said was we were doing something new and I wondered what that was going to be. I rested my head against his arm and it took an hour and a half to get back to Albuquerque due to traffic.

* * *

We parked in a field and we got out of the car. "What is this?" I asked him quietly.

"You'll see, you'll love it." He said, kissing my cheek gently.

"Okay." I said, looking at him confused. He pulled me along with him.

"Stay right here, okay?" He told me. I nodded and watched him walk away. He walked over to a man who was wearing a reflector vest in the middle of the field. I checked the time and when I looked up there were four hot air balloons floating down towards the ground.

I looked over at Troy who was walking back. "Are we going on one?" I asked when he got close enough.

He nodded his head. "We have the last ride of the day. Come on." He pulled me over to the first hot air balloon that landed on the ground. "After you, beautiful." He helped me in and followed me in. We had a quick safety briefing and the guide closed the basket.

We were slowly floating up in the air. I held onto the rail watching the ground get further away. He stood behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I leaned back against him as we floated around Albuquerque. "I think we need to talk." I said to him.

He nodded in agreement. "I think we should too." He said in my ear. It was pretty loud up there. "Maybe when we get back."

"Okay." I leaned back against him and we watched the sun start to set. Troy kept his arms around me to keep me warm.

The blue sky faded into red and it started to get dark as we descended down towards the ground slowly. We had to get on the ground before the sky was completely dark. The basket touched town and the guide opened the basket for us. I climbed out and waited for Troy.

"Are you hungry?" He asked me as we walked to the car.

"No, I'm still pretty full from lunch." I said as I stuffed my hands in my jean pockets.

"Are you ready to head back?" Troy asked, looking over at me.

I shook my head. "Not yet."

We stopped at the front of the car. "What do you want to do then?"

"I just want to talk." I said, hopping up on the hood of the car. "Hopefully your dad wont kill me." I said as I leaned back against the windshield. "Come on." I patted next to me.

"Oh god." He said, hopping up on the car. He got situated next to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. "Okay." He let out a sigh and I looked up.

"I decided where I'm going." I said, looking over at him.

"You did?" He asked, looking at me, anxiously. "Where?"

"I'm going to tell everybody in a couple of days." I said, looking up at the sky again. "The stars are pretty tonight."

He smiled. "Yeah, they are."

"I don't remember the last time I just stopped and looked up at the stars in the sky." I said, sighing in content. "Back home you can't really see them so you don't even remember that they're there."

He nodded his head slowly. "Doesn't it just make you feel so tiny? There's billions and billions of miles of infinite space out there and were on this small planet filled with small things. Why does everything feel so catastrophic sometimes?"

"I don't know." I said, resting my head against his arm. "How do we know if were in one moment or in all moments just focusing on this time?"

"I guess it's just natural to wonder about things. It's imprinted in us to go do things and discover new things." He looked over at me. "Some people never make it back to where they came from because they have no one to go home to, you know?"

I nodded my head in understanding. "I guess were some of the lucky ones."

Troy ran his fingers down my cheek. "Yeah, we are."

He was quiet for a moment and I took a breath. "Did you meet any interesting women on your trips?" I finally asked him. I've been on the fence of wanting to know and not wanting to know. I guess I did want to know.

"Yeah. I met a lot of interesting people."

I licked my lips. "Did you… connect with anybody?" I asked trying to find the right words.

He nodded his head. "It's surprising how much you find you have in common with somebody who doesn't have half of the things your do." I let out a sigh. I know he knew what I was asking. He was trying to make me ask him straight out. I just looked away from him.

"That's cool." I said, monotone.

"Did you meet anybody interesting?" He asked me.

I laughed shortly. "Not really."

"What about your desk friend? Did you connect with him?" He asked me, raising an eyebrow.

"No, we were just friends."

"Well so are we." He pointed out.

"It took him four months to ask me a complete sentence." I said dryly.

"So."

"No, I didn't hook up with anybody while you were gone." I said, firmly.

"Hey, don't get mad at me."

"Atleast I can answer the question directly."

"If you wanted that answer you should have asked me if I hooked up with anybody. I don't know why you're so mad at me. You're being hypocritical about the beating around the bush thing." He said, looking over at me. His eyes burning my face.

I huffed out. "Sorry. I'm still on the fence about if I want to know or not." He sighed and didn't say anything for a while. I closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead. "You know what? I don't want to know. Forget that I asked."

"I didn't." He said, looking over at me. "No kissing or hooking up." He said, sighing. "I didn't even want to. I told them I had a girlfriend waiting at home for me. I honestly didn't even think about it."

"It's okay if you did, you don't have to coddle me."

"Damn it, Gabriella, I'm not lying." He said, looking over at me. "There was nothing over there for me. I offered my help and worked with kids most of the time."

"I'm sorry, okay? Damn. I had all these expectations of when you got back home and now I'm just fucking everything up." I got off the car and walked into the darkness. I crossed my arms and looked up at the sky. I willed myself not to cry.

I heard the car start and the lights came on, almost blinding me. I shut my eyes and hugged myself tighter. I turned away and took a deep breath. I was not going to cry. Troy wrapped his arms around me tightly. "Come on, let's go home." He said quietly, rubbing my back. I nodded and he lead me back to the car.

* * *

I didn't do much for the next couple of days. I just sent my acceptance letter to the school I was going to. After I dropped it on at the post office I drove back to my moms. Cam didn't have work so he let me borrow his car. I walked in the door and Troy was sitting on the stairs waiting for me. I sighed, walking past him, up to my room.

"Why are you avoiding me?" He asked me, following me up the stairs.

"I'm not, I just haven't been out." I said, putting all the envelopes in the drawer of my old desk.

I took a seat on my bed as Troy walked in the room. "I've been thinking."

"About?"

"Us." He said, looking over at me. "We're not very good friends."

I laughed. "That is an understatement."

"I think, well if you want, I think we should pick up from where we left off." He said, leaning against the doorway.

"Is that what you really want?" I asked him, hugging my knees to my chest.

"Yes. I know you picked a school. I think we'll be just fine if you went to Boston or Baltimore. I don't want whatever decision you make to interfere with what is best for you." He said, looking at me. "I love you and your happiness is more important than anything now. I went and wandered the world and got it out of my system. All that I want now is you and I'll follow you wherever you decide to go."

I stared at him for a minute. I bit down on my bottom lip and got off the bed. I walked past him and out the front door. I took a deep breath and he followed me out. I have him a small smile and he had a confused look on his face. "I think I'm still in love with you." Troy grinned and leaned me up against the door. He kissed my lips slowly. "And you can kiss me anytime you want."

"Good, because I'm so in love with you I've been a mess for the last two years without you." He cupped my face and kissed my lips firmly. I sighed in content as my lips parted and my tongue reached out to meet his. He pushed his hips up against mine and kissed my lips firmly. Our tongues battled within our mouths.

I reached down and squeezed his butt. He chuckled against my lips. Troy pulled away from me and placed soft kisses on my lips. "We have a lot of sex to make up." I said, moving my hands up his back slowly.

He kissed my bottom lip before trailing down my jaw. "We should get started then." He pulled his body away from mine. He took my hand and lead down the street to his empty house. We went straight up to his room and didn't come out until dinner time. It didn't completely make up for the lack of sex that I've had for the past two years but it was definitely a start.

I couldn't wait to get back home and have Troy there every morning I woke up. We had a week left before we went home. It was definitely going to be an interesting one. It was going to be like high school, sneaking off to have sex. I'm sure this trip we were going to finally christen the tree house. I was just so damn happy Troy was finally home.

* * *

**See they're back together. Y'all had nothing to worry about. One of these days i'm going to write a story and have them never get together to drive you all crazy. LOL. Don't forget to review.**


	62. Found

Tonight was our last night in Albuquerque. We were getting together at my moms house for dinner. I bought a cake and was going to reveal which college I was going to in the cake. I hadn't told anybody yet and I was excited to see their reactions. Mom and I have been cooking all day again.

I left a half hour before dinner was done to pick up my cake. I brought it back home and put it in the fridge, By the time I got back everybody was there, chatting in the living room. I walked out and took a seat on Troy's lap.

"I'm just going to say I'm so glad everything is back to normal with you two. It was kind of weird to see you guys not attached at the lips." CJ said chuckling.

"Amen to that." Jack said, smirking at us.

"At least we could eat dinner with out them being all gross." Chris said. "I guess that's gone now."

"Leave them alone." Cam said, chuckling. "They're in love." He sang teasingly.

I rolled my eyes at all of them and Troy pulled me closer. "I can't wait for dessert." He said, whispering in my ear.

"The cake is going to be so good." I said, looking at him.

Troy smirked at me. "Not that kind of dessert." He sucked my earlobe in his mouth, nibbling on it gently. I giggled and pushed him away.

"Stop." I warned him. He pulled me back and put his face in my neck.

"Before dinner, the grossness starts. Please don't make me face them." Chris said, walking out of the room.

Cam chuckled. "Babe, is dinner ready yet?" He called into the kitchen.

"Yeah, come make your plates." She said, calling us in.

We let everybody go in first and I turned to Troy. "I love you."

"I love you too." He said, kissing my lips slowly. "I love you so much."

I smiled against his lips. "Mmm, please never leave again."

"I wouldn't dare." He kissed me slowly a couple more times before I pulled away.

"Let's go eat." I said, climbing off his lap.

"I'm starving." He spanked me after I got up. He wrapped his arms around my waist and we walked into the kitchen.

We made our plates and sat down at the table with the rest of our family. We started eating and talking amongst ourselves. Troy placed his hand on my thigh, stroking slowly as we ate our dinner. Troy excused himself to go to the bathroom.

"So Gabi, give us a hint on where your going." CJ said.

I shook my head. "Troy doesn't even know, so you'll have to wait and see like everybody else." I took a drink of water.

"How are we going to know?" Cam asked me.

"It's in the cake." I said, smiling. "I made them make a special cake. Green for Stanford, Purple for San Francisco, Blue for John Hopkins, or Red for Harvard." I said, taking a bite of my food.

"That's a good idea." Mom said, smiling at me. "I'm anxious to find out what it's going to be."

"Me too." Troy said, taking a seat next to me again. He looked over at my mom.

I picked up my water and took a drink. I sat back. "Ugh, I'm so full."

"Me too, that was great Marie." Jack said, putting his napkin on his empty plate.

I got up. "Let me take your plate." I picked it up and placed it on top of mine. I walked in to the kitchen and put the plates in the sink. I walked back and waited until everybody was done. I took the plates in the kitchen and my mom helped me clean off the table.

I picked up the cake and she grabbed some plates. I walked in and set it at the end of the table. I opened the box, sliding the cake out. I put the box off to the side as my mom came back out with utensils and napkins. I took a seat back in my chair.

"Aren't you going to cut it Gabi?" Mom asked, confused.

I shrugged my shoulders. "One of you guys can do it. I already know what it is." I said, smiling.

Everybody looked at my mom. "I'll do it." She said sighing.

Everybody got up to crowd around my mom. I leaned my elbow on the table, propping up my chin. I licked my lips and glanced down. "Wait, before you cut it, I have something to say." Troy said. I looked up and everybody looked at Troy. He took a seat next to me. "Look, Gab. I know it was your decision. I'll stick by with what I said. I'm going wherever you go. I'm so proud of you and I know you're going to be a great doctor."

I smiled at him. "Thank you Troy."

"Um, there's one more thing." Troy said getting up. He knelt down.

"Oh Fuck." I said without thinking. He chuckled, pulling out a box with a ring in it. "Oh shit." I looked up at my mom and she was smiling with tears in her eyes.

Troy took my hand, getting my attention. "It took me not even a week to realize I was in love with you. I didn't know if I was ever going to have a chance with you and then you told me you loved me and that was the happiest day of my life. I think the slap made it perfect." I laughed a little. "Slowly you started letting me in to the real you, the girl you buried deep within yourself. She was covered by your thick skin and incredible self confidence. But I fell in love with every part of you. If I didn't love every part of you, I'm sure we wouldn't have lasted a month. We made it through so much. I know you were always there for me like you promised to be, especially when mom died. You supported me when I had the craziest dreams to go travel the world and leave the only people that I had left. You supported me without hesitation. I'm going to do the same for you. I'll follow you to the end of the world if I have to. I can't begin to explain the way you make me feel."

"She gets it! Just ask her already!" CJ said.

"Cameron!" Dad scolded his son.

I giggled to myself and looked back at Troy. "I love you, will you marry me?" He finally asked.

"Of course." I said breathlessly. He slid the ring on my finger and picked me up. I wrapped my arms around his neck. "I bet your mom is going crazy up in heaven." I said, smiling at him. "She'd be so proud of you."

"She's probably wondering why she doesn't have grandchildren yet." I laughed, and leaned in, kissing his lips.

"Hey Troy, get a look at this." My mom said. She lifted up a piece of the purple cake.

"You won't have to chase me that far baby. I'm just going over a different bridge." I said, kissing his ear gently.

Troy grinned widely. "I can't wait to get you home." He said, kissing my lips firmly.

"This cake is good." Chris said, walking past us.

"Go get some cake, I know you want some." I said, pulling away from him. "Get me a piece too."

He smiled at me. "Your wish is my command."

I rolled my eyes at him and I took a seat. "Oh shit." I said sighing. I looked at the beautiful ring on my finger. I wondered how in the world he could afford this. I wasn't even going to ask. I don't care, I don't think anything can ruin this day.

"Hey Gab." I turned around and CJ shoved a piece of cake in my face.

"CJ" I squealed. I wiped the cake from my eyes and got up. "I'm going to kick your ass." I ran over to the cake and grabbed the piece out of Troy's hand.

"Gabriella, if you get that on my carpet I swear to god." Mom said after me.

I ran outside to where CJ was. I jumped on his back and smashed the cake in his face. "You have a lot to learn little bro." I said, climbing off him. I ran over to the tree, climbing up quickly. I threw myself over the railing and into my room. I went in my bathroom and hopped in the shower. That fucking kid, god love him.

* * *

"Babe, baby, we have to get up." Troy said, kissing my ear.

"Why?" I grumbled, turning around. I pulled the covers over my head.

"We're getting breakfast and we have to leave for the airport. We're going home, remember?" He said, rubbing my bare back.

I yawned snuggling against my pillow. "Five minutes."

He scooted closer to me and kissed my lip softly. He ran his fingertips down my back slowly. "How about we take those five minutes to the shower?"

I smiled against his lips. "Can I take a bath and skip breakfast?"

"You can do whatever you want my love." He kissed my lip gently. "Better yet, breakfast in the tub?"

I picked up the sheets, wrapping them around me. "Perfect." I leaned down, kissing his lips firmly. "You're going to be the best husband ever."

He chuckled. "Oh baby, I know."

I smiled against his lips. "I'll be in the bath." I got up and pulled the sheets with me into the bathroom. I sat at the edge and drew the bath. I let the sheet fall as I sank into the warm water. I studied the ring on my finger and smiled to myself. I felt like the luckiest girl in the fucking world.

"I brought you a bagel and some fruit." Troy said setting the tray at the edge of the tub.

I smiled up at him. "I love you."

He smiled, "I know." He got up and pulled his clothes off. He climbed in with me, sitting me on his lap. I leaned back against him. My hair was up in a bun and my head was on his shoulder. "Bagel?" He asked, taking a bite before offering it to me.

I took a bite and chewed thoughtfully. I sighed. "I love the ring by the way."

"I knew you would. Your mom helped me out." Troy said taking another bite.

"It's pretty big too." I said, looking over at it.

"Let's just say I gladly saved up all that I made when I was over seas." He kissed my shoulder. "Nothing is too good for you baby."

"It's a lot." I told him.

"Hey, I only have one year of college to pay off and I think my college fund will cover at least half of it. You don't have to worry about money baby. You're going to be making most of it." He reminded me, offering me another bite.

"That doesn't hurt your ego?" I asked him, smirking.

"I got a sugar mama. Nothing can hurt my ego."

I laughed smacking his arm. I accidentally smacked the bagel out of his hand, making it drop into the water. "Look what you did." I teased Troy, picking up the wet bagel.

"That was you're fault, not mine." He said, laughing. "I really wanted that too."

I pouted. "I'm sorry." I sat up and put the tray on the floor. "Just so we don't have anymore soggy bagels."

"We definitely don't want those." I turned around in his arms, straddling his lap. I leaned in, kissing his lips softly. "Mmm, I'd much rather have you." He mumbled against my lips.

I kissed his lips firmly, pulling the plug out of the drain so the water would drain out. His hands smoothed down my waist slowly. My hand dropped to his hardening member. I stroked him slowly. Once the water drained, I sank down on top of him.

I moved my hand through his hair and lifted his hips up to meet mine. "Oh fuck." I mumbled against his lips. His hands moved down to my hips, guiding me on top of him. I bounced on top of him quickly, squeezing my walls around him. We didn't really have much time.

"Oh fuck, fuck. Gab- shit." He squeezed my hips tightly.

"Let it go." I said, against his ear. I tugged on the hair on the back of his head.

He sucked a nipple into his mouth, flicking it with his tongue. "Feel so good." He mumbled, releasing my breast before moving over to the other one.

"Shit. Troy." I leaned back, angling him inside me. "Oh right there." I let out a silent moan, arching my back.

His thumb pressed against my clit. I held onto his thighs, squeezing my eyes shut. My thighs started shaking and he kept moving me to ride out my orgasm. I clenched my walls tightly and he grunted out. "Fuck." His forehead wrinkled as he released in me.

I leaned over and kissed his lips slowly. "I don't think I could ever get tired of sex."

He grinned at me. "When we get home we can have as much sex as you want. How did I leave you for three years?"

"I have no idea." I climbed off him and hopped into the shower. I washed my body off and Troy went in after me.

* * *

I wrapped a towel around my body and got changed. I let my hair down and made sure Troy and I had everything we needed. Troy came out with a towel around his waist. He got dressed and I put the sheets in the hamper. We cleaned up around the room and took our things down stairs.

We said some quick goodbyes and we piled into Cam's car. CJ and Chris took us to the airport. We landed back home a little while later. We hauled our things to my car that I parked there a month earlier. We fit all our bags into the car and got in.

We stopped for a quick lunch before I drove us back home. I parked in the drive way. Shane or Anna weren't home. Troy took all of our bags to our room. I locked up my car and followed him into our room. He was laying on the bed.

"I missed this bed." He said, closing his eyes.

"I missed laying with you in bed." I said, taking a seat next to him. "I love you."

"I love you too baby." He kissed my lips slowly.

"GABI." I heard Anna screech from the front door.

I sat up quickly. "Anna! I have a surprise for you!"

"What?" She yelled back to me.

"Come on." I said, pulling Troy up. I walked out of my room and I turned the corner. "Look what I found in Albuquerque."

"I resent that." Troy said as he walked out from behind me.

"TROY!" Anna screeched.

"Anna!" He yelled back playfully.

She rushed over to give him a big hug. "Oh my god! You're back!"

He nodded. "We have something else to tell you." I said, looking over at Anna. I held out my left hand showing her the diamond that laid on it.

She screamed, bouncing up and down. "Anna? What are you doing? That can't be good for the baby." Shane said walking in the door.

"BABY?" Troy and I asked at the same time, looking at each other to Anna.

"Shane!" She whined.

"Troy?" Shane asked, looking over at us. "Welcome home buddy." Shane gave Troy a hug.

"Baby? Who is having a baby?" I asked, looking at the people in front of me.

"Thanks man." Troy said, grinning.

"Babe! They're engaged!" Anna said, picking up my hand, showing Shane the ring.

"Who's pregnant?" I said, frustrated.

"Congratulations." Shane said with a big smile. He hugged the both of us.

I looked over at Anna. "You're pregnant?"

She nodded, giving me a small smile. "12 weeks."

I smiled at her. "Oh my god, Anna!" I wrapped my arms around her tightly. "You're having a little baby. Oh my god."

"I know right." She said, putting her hand on her stomach. "I'm not really showing yet but my doctor said I should be soon."

"I'm so happy for you!"

"I'm so happy for you, Gabi!" We both started tearing up, hugging each other.

"You're not pregnant too, right Gabi?" Shane asked.

"No, you idiot, I'm on birth control." I said before turning back to Anna. "What do you want it to be? Boy or girl?"

She smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't care, I'm just so happy. When's the wedding?"

I looked over at Troy. "We haven't talked about that yet."

"Not for a while though. Gabi is going to SF state." Troy said, grinning proudly. "She got a full scholarship."

"Way to go Gab!" Shane said, hugging me again.

"This is just such a great day!" Anna said, starting to cry.

"Aw." I hugged her tightly. "Happy tears?"

"Very happy tears." She said, sniffling.

Troy looked for a job as a teacher around the Bay Area. He got a temporary position at a school in Hayward teaching freshman English. I started medical school and I loved it. I loved being in the city all the time. It was about 15 minutes away from work and I loved that.

Anna and Shane moved to a place in the city. Their baby boy was due at the end of January. I was so excited to be apart of that little babies life. Shane and Anna were going to be great parents. He hadn't proposed yet but I had a feeling it was going to come soon.

Troy and I still hadn't picked a date or a year for the wedding. We were just going to wait a little bit until he established himself as a teacher and I'm at least half way through medical school. We weren't in a rush though. We had all the time in the world to be together.

I stopped talking to my dad all together. I still kept in touch with Phoebe and Aaron. I wanted my mom to walk me down the aisle because she truly never gave up on me. She has been through so much and worked all the time but still found time to raise me well. I hoped I could be just like her when I have kids.

It took me a while to realize that I wasn't the greatest person in the world. I was mean and I didn't care about anything until I met Troy. He made me see that everybody wasn't going to just fuck me over. He did leave but he came back and he was going to be around for a long time. I really don't want to spend the rest of my life with anybody else in the world.

The world was full of clichés. I actually did step into my very own when I first set foot in Albuquerque and East High. It wasn't the bad type of cliché. I found someone to spend the rest of my life with. I came into the town lost, but I guess I was just wandering. I was looking for the one place I felt I belong. And I did. I never, in a million years, thought that that place would be in Troy's arms.

* * *

**After a long time coming, Those Who Wander is finally finished. I'm so glad y'all loved it just as much as i loved writing it. I always have to make my characters a little weird, different. I don't want you guys to have to read the same story over and over and over again. You know what i mean? I know some things were a little unconventional but that's the best part about FF. You don't have to be. Troy and gabriella could be blue aliens from Jupiter and the story can still be great. I know sometimes i use my same ideas from other stories of mine but i mostly switch things up so it doesn't seem the same. I'm sorry for the hiatus. I was really at a stand still for this story but i'm SO glad that i got the urge to finish it. I'm sorry if you guys thought it was boring, or whatever. It makes me SO happy that you guys keep reading and reviews because you don't really have to and that's a big deal for me: to have that support. I wish i could thank everybody personally but i'm on 350+ reviews which had blown me away, TBH. So a BIG thank you to everyone.**

**I have a couple new storys i'm working on. None of them are really finished yet. But i'm going to try to finish one today- maybe- to put up this weekend. I'm going to give y'all a little sneak peak of what i'm currently working on.**

**1. Fat Camp T- Troy and Gabriella are young (16) and over weight. They have to attend this camp for the summer, against their will. Shit gets real. It's pretty funny but it's more on the serious side. Another sassy Gabi story.**

**2. Surrogate M- (I put a sneak peak of this story up on Fame and Love- i don't remember which chapter.) Gabi becomes a surrogate for a couple from arizona who can't have their own children. This pregnancy/surrogacy comes at a time when she thought not alot was going to happen. But she meets a guy, unknowing where their relationship is going to go or how he'd react to her past.**

**3. He Didn't Have To Be T- (My country music fans might recognize this song title) A man recollects on his life and the role his father played. He is at a turning point in his life and he uses the guidance of his dad to get through the rough times ahead.**

**Are you excited for any of those? Tell me which one you're most excited for if not all. Or tell me if all of the ideas suck. Tell me you love me. or just Don't forget to review. :)**


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